Please note Riona Gokool, MPL sound bite in English
• Years of uncertainty for Rocky Park residents must end.
• KwaDukuza Municipality fails to take appropriate steps and ignores DHS meeting requests.
• Municipality has no interest in those it is meant to serve.
The Democratic Alliance has today demanded urgent action to unlock the long-delayed Rocky Park housing project in KwaDukuza after years of uncertainty for residents. This, as responsibility is passed back and forth between different spheres of government.
A report (view here) by KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Department of Human Settlements (DHS) – tabled at a portfolio committee meeting held today – confirms that Rocky Park has been plagued by delays, disputes with a previous service provider, audits and the illegal occupation of units.
A 2024 decision transferred developer status and responsibility for the project to the province, yet critical obstacles remain unresolved. Of particular concern is that KwaDukuza Municipality, as the landowner, has failed to move decisively on legal processes required to secure vacant possession and enable lawful allocation of units. Despite commitments made in January 2025 to lodge the necessary court application, progress has remained painfully slow.
KZN’s DHS has admitted that, despite numerous follow-ups, the municipality has failed to take appropriate steps and ignored meeting requests. A meeting scheduled for today has also been declined by the municipality.
The DA now calls for:
• A joint intervention plan with strict deadlines between the province and municipality;
• Immediate finalisation of the occupier profiling and socio-economic verification process;
• Urgent progress on the eviction process, strictly within the law and with due regard for residents’ rights;
• A transparent beneficiary allocation process once lawful vacant possession is secured; and
• Regular public reporting on milestones, delays and responsible officials.
It is clear that the KwaDukuza Municipality in particular has no interest in those it is meant to serve and that a change in local government leadership is needed when voters go to the polls on 4 November.
The DA, as a partner within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), will continue to hold both the DHS and the municipality accountable. Rocky Park residents cannot be expected to wait indefinitely while meetings replace decisive action.