The Makhado Municipality continued with its unauthorized township development at Songozwi on top of the Soutpansberg during the past three weeks.

In open defiance of a court order and in breech of an official restraining agreement with the relevant provincial authorities, additional building material was carted to the site and construction activities continued. This was officially confirmed on Monday by a spokesperson for the Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism.

None of the legally prescribed impact assessments and consultations took place and no official authorization from the relevant conservation agencies was sought before the project, funded by the Provincial Department of Housing and Local Government, started. The department has as yet to explain how it became involved and who was instrumental in forwarding taxpayers’ money to an unauthorized and highly contentious project of such magnitude.

Several million rands of public funds are involved in the funding of a potentially destructive and pollutive project in an area of unique natural, historical and cultural interest. A major cause for concern is also the placement of such a huge residential development in a spot where the existing couple of families are already suffering a serious water crisis. Drinking water for the traditional Songozwi village is carted uphill by the Makhado Municipality from Louis Trichardt town on a daily basis, because the boreholes which were sunk there do not yield sufficient water to fill the reservoir tank erected at the village. To construct a pipeline uphill through the mountain forest area would result in an extremely expensive exercise.

After inspections on the scene by both the Green Scorpions and the national heritage protection agencies, the development was called to a halt towards the beginning of last month. It was at the time officially confirmed that a definite deadline for ending the operation had been set. The municipality was allowed to use the already delivered building materials to complete the then partially constructed houses, but was instructed that no further building material should be brought to the site and that no further construction activity could be allowed.

Despite the July 17 deadline for the complete and final cessation of the potentially destructive development in an ecologically and culturally sensitive area, heavy loads of additional building material were once again carted to the site by the municipality. Additional foundation digging activity was also reported. Apart from the more than 20 houses which were completed, an additional nine foundations were dug, in spite of the official deadline and cessation order.

In open contravention of a binding court order, a private road across private property is being used without permission for this operation. Taxpayers’ equipment is being utilized for this transgression.

When the law enforcement official who headed the investigation into the unauthorized project and who confirmed the deadline was contacted during the first week of this month, with information about the breech, he referred the enquiry to the regional manager at the head office, Mr Tao Mo-rouswi, who politely refused to comment. He referred the enquiry to the departmental media spokesperson, Mr Peter Tlouane.

Mr Tlouane, when asked for comment on the situation, said on July 27 that an EMI official had been dispatched to the site to verify the allegations of a serious breech of official restraining instructions.

On further enquiry, Mr Tlouane this week confirmed the breech of agreement on the part of the municipality.

“We have been able to ascertain that the units (now) under construction are not part of the quota that was agreed to with the municipality. The department is currently engaged in discussions with the municipality to formalize the necessary planning requirements for developments of this nature,” he said.

The houses under unlawful construction by the municipality, aided by the provincial department, are nondescript RDP-type, tin-roofed, two-roomed houses with no infrastructural provision for water supply or sewage disposal. The plain utility type design of the houses is in stark contrast with the character of the thatched traditional houses in the adjacent historical family village of the curator of the Ramabulana royal graves.

Observers who visited the site expressed their profound disbelief and gross disappointment with the insensitive way in which the valuable tourist potential of the area is being despoiled and compromised by the obvious incongruity of the illicit development.