Educational & Recreational Facilities

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The Social Infrastructure programme aims to ensure that residents of Cato Manor are provided with a range of social facilities in a co-ordinated and accountable manner

The provision of these facilities must respond to meet the development needs of new and established areas of settlement (housing), and this process is carried out in consultation with community reference groups, relevant funding agencies and local authorities.

The implementation of the Social Infrastructure programme by the CMDA is assisted by the project management services of the Architectural Department of the North and South Central Local Council and by the valuable input of representatives from the range of Government and non-Government departments and specialised consultants who have an interest in the project.
Social facilities are designed around key principles to ensure that they offer safe and convenient access by users and are affordable, sustainable and promote economic development in Cato Manor.

Multi-Purpose Centres
Innovative planning and close liaison with community representatives and relevant departments of the Provincial and Metro Government has resulted in the development of a Multi-Purpose Centre concept. This combines specific social facilities, thereby reducing duplication and concomitant development costs (capital and running costs) while increasing the accessibility and levels of utilisation of the facilities. both the Umkhumbane Multi-Purpose Centre in Old Dunbar Rd (RDP funded) and the Cato Crest Multi-Purpose Centre in Trimbourne Rd (EU funded) illustrate this unique concept, where primary and secondary educational facilities have been combined at the planning and implementation stages, with a community hall, a public library and a sports field to create an integrated and highly cost effective complex. Here all the facilities will be combined through a joint management philosophy which will promote the shared utilisation of the facilities by school users and the surrounding communities.
 

Umkhumbane Multi Purpose Centre Community Hall Interior
The new library and community hall at Cato Crest

This has resulted in the adoption of a new standard school type which has been developed with the involvement of community reference groups as well as with the relevant government departments.

Schools
The first European Union funded School project at the Cato Crest Multi-Purpose Centre has been linked to the development of a new replicable design for further primary and secondary school projects to be funded by the EU. The emphasis has been placed on the development of a flexible and cost effective model, and the utilisation of conventional materials and building methods which are sustainable and can be implemented by the local community.
 
Ekhupileni Clinic
Happy pupils at Cato Crest Primary School

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 acknowledged.

The new library at Chesterville Extension
(click to enlatge)

View of the Cato Crest Primary School (click to enlarge)

Cato Crest Primary School
While these school types are constructed at the Cato Crest Multi-Purpose Centre, they are also being utilised in the development of the designs for the new Chesterville extension primary and secondary schools in Chesterville Extension. (Click on link to see images - 70kb).

The innovative designs and the comprehensive documentation are proving effective not only in containing the development costs on individual projects but also in achieving a significant reduction in the time requirements for the design and documentation stages of the projects.
   

Parks, Play-Lots, Recreation and Conservation Areas
The integrated planning and development approach adopted by the CMDA has resulted in the identification of projects for the provision of parks, sports fields and neighbourhood play lots as well as the conservation of the sensitive natural environment. The neighbourhood park which was completed in Chesterville Extension during 1998 has proved highly successful as a safe and accessible open space due to its direct surveillance and accessibility from surrounding residences, and it is to be replicated, where possible, in other areas of housing development with the same design emphasis. Project proposals for the Bellair Road urban park, which is linked to the development of an adjacent informal traders market, and the conservation and development of a park at the SPCA Grasslands, have been prepared and are to be implemented in conjunction with relevant Metro departments.

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.

Economic Development and Training
The construction phase of all Social Infrastructure projects aims to develop the economy and skills of target communities by directing a realistic portion of the construction employment budget into the project area. In most cases the principles and procedures of the Targeted Procurement Process (TPP) devised by the National Department of Public Works have been adopted as the basis for the procurement and letting of construction projects. Prior to the preparation of the contract documentation, projects are analysed and, together with community reference groups, the target sectors are identified and realisable goals are agreed, These criteria are then stated in the tender documentation and form part of the basis on which tenders are adjudicated.

During the construction phase contractors are encouraged to access information from the CMDA's Job Opportunities Bureau (JOB) regarding existing sub-contractors and listed names of artisans and qualified people in the various construction fields. JOB is also acting as a valuable resource in assisting the Social Infrastructure Programme in ensuring that community groups understand the implications of the Targeted Procurement Process and are able to contribute to its effectiveness. Three projects for the construction of pre-schools have been identified for implementation as training-based pilot projects where development and training organisations are being considered for the construction of these projects, linked directly to the skills development and job creation initiatives of the Community Development department of the CMDA.

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