GP Human Settlement in discussions to buy Selby Informal settlement land
The Department says they could not build homes for the 200 families that lost their houses as the land belongs to the national railway agency Prasa.
More than 200 families from the Selby informal settlement, near Booysens, were affected by a fire that broke out in the area on 27 January 2025. Picture: Thandoluhle Ngcobo/EWN
JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng Department of Human Settlement says they have been involved in discussions of possibly buying the illegally occupied land that Selby Informal settlement is on.
This follows fires that broke out last month in the Booysens Settlement.
The Department says they could not build homes for the 200 families that lost their houses as the land belongs to the national railway agency Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).
Provincial Human Settlement spokesperson Tsekiso Machike says the national department had conducted an inter-governmental meeting to discuss a way forward with the land.
READ: More than 200 families from Selby informal settlement affected by fire
“The City of Johannesburg and PRASA posed the incident to look into the possibilities of acquiring the land.”
He adds that more plans of aid are going to be provided for the families that were affected.
"The city will submit a plan to the department on properties that can be used as temporary emergency accommodation in case a fire disaster incident is happening and furthermore the city is working towards converting some of its buildings to be used for affordable housing and social housing.”