Scores of houses are sprouting next to the N4 and the R570 in Nkomazi, and they have not gone unnoticed by local residents and the authorities. However, according to the municipality and the house of traditional leaders, these illegal invaders cannot, by law, be removed.
Nkomazi Local Municipality (NLM), who is forced to deliver free municipal services to these residents, and the traditional leaders within cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta), are trying to look for a way out of this situation, with little hope.
“Those who invade land know the law. They know they cannot be removed, whether they are legal or not. The law protects them and not us,” said Inkhosi Sandile Ngomane, chairperson of Cogta in Mpumalanga.
Tensions are already high between NLM and Cogta due to the issue of service delivery to houses allocated by Cogta, built without the necessary town planning.
“It is impossible to service residences far out of town and built without any town planning,” said NLM’s spokesperson, Cyril Ripinga. “It is necessary to ensure running water and proper roads leading to a development before construction starts. We cannot service villages that sprout up out of nowhere, yet these people demand services by protesting in the streets.”
Ripinga added that traditional leaders have to consult with the municipality for advice on where to build stands, so they can receive municipal services. “We first need to see if there is budget for the necessary infrastructure, and these residents have to pay taxes in order to receive municipal services.”
Ngomane confirmed that traditional leaders do not consult with the municipality before allocating stands. “No planning is done, but we should have started doing that. We should involve the municipality. We only involve them when we plan a big project of 50 houses or more.”
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Ngomane added that indunas within the communities add to the problem. “Some indunas, or elected community leaders, allocate stands without consulting the traditional leaders. They cut corners, perhaps because they feel more powerful than the traditional leaders.”
Ngomane said talks with the municipality are necessary, but have not yet happened. “It’s difficult. At this stage, those who receive land allocated by Cogta pay between R250 and R1 000 levy per annum. This money is not paid to the municipality, but as an admin fee to Cogta.
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We will try to cooperate with the municipality. We are trying to encourage residents to pay taxes, because they cannot receive services without paying the municipality.”
