The provision of a full range of social facilities in Cato Manor forms an integral part of the CMDA’s holistic delivery programme. The development of schools, libraries, clinics, community halls, religious sites, urban parks and sportsfields, and their location in relation to housing projects, transport routes and economic opportunities, is transforming Cato Manor into a lively and liveable ‘city-within-a-city’.

Alongside substantial investments in bulk service infrastructure and the provision of housing, the development of social facilities has been a major focus since 1994 and a key performance area since 1997, when the development shifted into top gear.

Multi-Purpose Centres
Sites in Cato Manor’s residential environments are generally small and most homes cannot accommodate crucial activities like studying, exercising and socialising. Social infrastructure buildings therefore become important centres of activity, and because of their size, have the potential to become significant landmarks in the area.

This potential has been given full expression in the development of two multi-purpose centres on hilltops in the Wiggins and Cato Crest areas. Each comprises a primary school, secondary school, hall, library and sportsfield, with a pre-school nearby. Through this arrangement, the optimal use and sharing of amenities is promoted: learners make use of the libraries and halls while classrooms are made available for after-hours adult education programmes.

Throughout Cato Manor, schools, halls, libraries and sports fields have been clustered, as far as possible, to encourage symbiotic use. Intensive delivery of these facilities over the past two years has kept abreast of housing development, ensuring that residents have access to cultural, sporting and educational opportunities.

Parks and playgrounds
Parks and playgrounds, essential elements of a living environment, have been rationalised into a four-tier hierarchy of facilities that will deliver outdoor recreation opportunities to suit all age groups. Large-scale delivery in this regard is underway, with 22 sites planned for completion early in 2003.

Community Health Centre
Negotiations between a range of stakeholders, facilitated by the CMDA, will come to fruition in 2004 when a new Community Health Centre opens in Cato Manor’s Central Node. The R20 million building is the largest single building developed by the CMDA and the first to be jointly funded by the EU and the eThekwini Municipality. Offering a comprehensive health service to residents in Cato Manor and other parts of Durban, the new Centre will include a 24-hour midwifery and obstetrics unit, an emergency and referral department, dentistry and physiotherapy units, a pharmacy and over 20 consulting rooms out of which a range of public health, community and outreach services will operate. The Centre will take over the functions of the existing Ekhupileni Clinic in Bellair Road.

Partnerships
The development of social facilities in Cato Manor is implemented by the CMDA. Completed facilities are handed over to line departments within the eThekwini Municipality and the provincial government which are responsible for ongoing facility management and upkeep. During the conceptualisation and design stage of each social facility, consultation with the relevant managing department and end-users takes place in order to identify and respond to their needs and priorities.

Targeted Procurement
Positive spin-offs of social and engineering infrastructure construction projects in Cato Manor include the employment of Cato Manor residents and the generation of growth opportunities for locally based enterprises. Targeted procurement policies, developed by the South African government, are implemented by the CMDA in collaboration with the Labour Forum, a sub-structure of the Cato Manor Community Organisation. Contractors tender a target specifying the percentage of the contract value that will directly benefit Cato Manor residents and locally based enterprises. Performance of the contractors is monitored by the CMDA in conjunction with the Labour Forum.

Awards
In 2001 the KwaZulu-Natal Institute for Architecture (KZNIA) awarded recognition for two building projects facilitated by the CMDA, namely, the Chesterville Extension 3 Library and the Wiggins Multi-Purpose Centre.

The Chesterville Extension 3 Library was cited as “... an exemplar of a developmental process, the library provides facilities for emerging communities and is able to achieve architectural quality within the constraints of a tight budget.”* The Chesterville Extension 3 Library forms part of a cluster of social facilities which, together with a hall and (future) clinic, enclose a public open space suitable for community functions and gatherings linked to the hall.

The Wiggins Multi-Purpose Centre was recognised by the KZNIA for the quality of space and spatial connections within and between buildings despite a tight project budget and difficult terrain and soil conditions. The cohesiveness of the project, which involved four firms of architects, each responsible for a different component of the centre, was also acknowledged.