LOUIS TRICHARDT – Yet another application for business development, this time for a 5 star hotel and a service station, in the ecological sensitive Green Belt area of Louis Trichardt has been approved by the Makhado Municipal Council.

An application by Songozwi Hotel and Entertainment Park for a portion of land in the yet undeveloped Western section of Extension 9 township in Louis Trichardt (Greenbelt Area north of Stubbs Street) was approved by all ANC councillors in the meeting.

Opposition DA members walked out of the council meeting in protest against the total eclipse of written information about items on council's agenda.

The item, with far reaching consequences for all residents, taxpayers and business concerns, was introduced into Council's public meeting by the mere heading: "Council Land: Application for portion of Land: Louis Trichardt Extension 9 Township" plus a remark that the Executive Committee's recommendation will be "put verbally" during the meeting.

Council's official agenda contained no indication whatsoever of the fact that the land applied for is yet another part of the seriously disputed and highly sensitive Greenbelt area, which is considered to be Council's most valuable natural asset.

The specific part of the Greenbelt area was zoned as residential one, but was left undeveloped after a major public outcry in the 1990's against the proposed development of an upmarket residential area in this most sensitive part of the Greenbelt area. The so-called Extension 9 West, is situated immediately to the south of the SAFCOL plantation on the northern border of the town and is bordered on the East by the N1 and on the South by Stubbs Street. It is considered as the umbilical cord joining the town's Greenbelt with the mountain. It contains a wetland area with two riverlets coming from different sides of the mountain into the larger of three town dams and is inhabited amongst others by duiker, bushbuck and vervet monkeys, while it also contains the last remnants of the indigenous river vegetation leading into the indigenous mountain forest.

Although the present Director Strategic Development of the municipality was present when the previous Council in the nineties acceded to public concerns and decided not to proceed with the proposed residential development in this part of the Greenbelt, and although Council at the time also conceded that a professional independent environmental impact study would have been necessary before any responsible development could be considered in that area, non of these pertinent facts are contained in the present written report of the Director Strategic Development to Council.

In his report the proposed business development in the Greenbelt area is hailed as "a major economic injection into this Municipality … which must be supported."

The Director Municipal Secretariat indicated that the required land will have to be consolidated and rezoned from Residential 1 to the required rezoning and that Council has to indicate by specific resolution the method of sale of the land, i.e. by means of tender or by means of private contract. This report also gives no indication as to the highly sensitive nature of the land, Council's pledge to have an EIA done and the known attitude of informed and caring residents towards such development in the Greenbelt area.

The municipal Manager, in his comment advised Council to apply the principle of transparency and to go on open tender.

The applicants are Songozwi Hotel and Entertainment Park of Maranatha Centre, Louis Trichardt.