AfriForum puts Metsimaholo on terms regarding Wonderfontein development

AfriForum instructed its legal team to put the Metsimaholo Local Municipality on terms regarding the development taking place at Wonderfontein. This follows after AfriForum in August this year requested the municipality’s plans for the development as prescribed by the tribunal, but the municipality did not comply with the request.

This development, which is undertaken in extensions 74, 75, 76, 77, 78 and 79, is part of the Sasolburg town planning scheme which was approved on 17 October 2019 by the Metsimaholo town planning tribunal. However, the development was kicked off before all the conditions set by the tribunal had been met.

According to Jaco Grobbelaar, AfriForum’s Regional Head for the Central Region, the municipality simply ignored the requirements established by their own tribunal and continued with the development. “The municipality does not comply with their own rules and regulations and therefore we are forced to take legal action against the municipality should they continue. The impact on the community if the development continues without compliance with the detailed requirements is astronomical and will harm the community as well as the environment.”

“We are firmly convinced that the municipality does not have the necessary plans as required. In order to meet the requirements, this means that millions of rands of expenditure must be incurred before the development can begin and the government does not have those funds available. The municipality did explain to us in a meeting that they do have plans, but we haven’t received anything in black and white yet.”

Requirements that must be met include, among others, the:

• consolidation of plots as set out by the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act 16 of 2013;
• renovation of the road network and infrastructure as detailed in the traffic impact study;
• appointment of an independent contractor to carry out a complete infrastructure assessment;
• design and build a new sewage plant to provide sufficient sewage for the development;
• building and designing adequate stormwater systems; and
• submission of preliminary design plans of the houses to be built in the town development area (these plans must be submitted within six months of the approval of the development).

“The biggest concern is that the development will take place without complying with the detailed requirements which will cause even more raw sewage to flow into the Vaal River which is already an environmental disaster. Furthermore, there will not be sufficient water to supply the development with clean drinking water. If the development happens midway and is then suddenly stopped because of all the issues that are not in place, it leaves the area open to land grabs and occupation, which in turn poses a major security risk to the community. For all these reasons, it is important for us to ensure that the development takes place in the right way and that all the necessary plans are in place,” concludes Grobbelaar.

If the Metsimaholo municipality does not provide the necessary plans by Thursday 3 October, the organisation will approach the court to ensure that the development takes place in the appropriate manner.