The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Northern Cape is outraged that a project which was due to be launched in Kimberley five years ago to provide housing for the 'missing middle' was stalled without clear explanation by the provincial government and the local municipality.

The project had a potential to create more than 23 000 jobs and help to house about 12 000 workers who fall within the definition of the 'missing middle'.

The project was aimed at assisting workers who are unable to secure funding from banks nor get RDP houses. COSATU in the province endorsed and fully supported this noble initiative.

However, nothing materialised thereafter even though no government funding was required to build the houses.

Therefore, COSATU seeks an audience with President Cyril Ramaphosa and government leadership to thrash out this matter, which was referred to the previous Minister of Human Settlement, Honourable Mamoloko Kubayi but nothing tangible happened.

The Federation in the Northern Cape requests the intervention of the Presidency as part of addressing socio-economic challenges faced by the citizens of the province.

COSATU will be picketing at Premier Zamani Saul's office on Friday, 25 July to raise this concern.