The DA calls on KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Human Settlements to ensure the safeguarding of land recently acquired from the national Department of Public Works.
The appeal comes as land invasions in the province continue to rise. It also follows KZN recently exceeding its land acquisition target with the department procuring 316 hectares – way above its target of 150 hectares.
While the DA welcomes the procurement of additional land, we do so with reservations.
Land acquisition remains a challenge for KZN’s Department of Human Settlements – the biggest issue being the non-completion of projects. This has left land parcels vulnerable to invasion.
Land invasion is widespread across KZN – a province with almost 1 000 informal settlements. The situation demands that newly appointed MEC, Sipho Nkosi, prioritise the transfer of land parcels to municipalities.
This is particularly important after the department’s fourth quarter target for land parcel devolvement was reported as being 0%. Municipalities must then take responsibility for the land and ensure that housing development is not stalled.
A further concern is whether land acquired – either through donation or purchase – is suitable for housing development.
Last year, Msunduzi municipality purchased 17 hectares in Bakerville, at a cost of R12million, for the purpose of building houses for military veterans. During the initial stages of construction, the DA exposed various serious issues regarding suitability of the land which made it unsafe for construction.
KZN’s Department of Human Settlements was supposed to obtain approval from the province’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) for this project to proceed. Almost a year later it has not been obtained.
Instead, the project has come to a stand-still, resulting in ongoing land invasion of the site and surrounding areas. This includes municipal and privately owned land.
The municipality’s failure to follow process and carry out proper checks has left Bakerville and its surrounding residents living in fear – first that the dangerous project would go ahead, placing their lives in danger and now as they face land grabs taking place around their homes.
The recent acquisition of land by Msunduzi municipality, from Public Works, raises concerns given its track record. It is now vital that this municipality ensure that the land received is suitable for housing development and that it enforces its land invasion policy to protect both its own land and private property.