President Jacob Zuma handed over newly-built RDP houses to residents of Kanana Park, near Lenasia, on Friday morning.

He cut the ribbons on several houses, before giving the elderly occupants a personal tour of their new homes.

Zuma then helped plant a small tree in one of the yards and threw sand around the tree’s roots with a gold spray-painted spade.

The president was accompanied by Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane.

Nearly 200 houses would be handed over to residents on Friday.

The hand-over was the first stage of a larger roll-out of basic services to Kanana Park residents.

Earlier, more than a thousand residents filed into a white marquee in the middle of the newly developed houses and sang in favour of “Msholozi” — Zuma’s clan name.

The president visited the region in 2010. The province and the City of Johannesburg began developing the Kanana Park housing project shortly afterwards.

The project would incorporate the settlements of Thulamntwana, Sweetwaters, and two smaller informal settlements of Doornkuil and Bhekaphambili.

A total of 3,101 houses were being built, 1,793 of which are government subsidised housing units, 756 social-rental units, and 552 bonded units.

In addition to the houses, several parks, two sports grounds, two primary schools, a high school, a clinic, and commercial and light industrial sites were being planned for the area.