The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Maruleng Municipality, Hoedspruit, will submit a community-supported petition to the Limpopo Legislature calling for urgent government intervention following the municipality’s decision to impose a year-long moratorium on development due to the collapse of the town’s water and sanitation systems.
Accordingly, the DA will further demand that:
- The Mopani District Municipality, as Water Services Authority, together with Maruleng Municipality, table a costed, time-bound plan for long-term water and sanitation upgrades in Hoedspruit; and
- Both municipalities publish monthly progress reports on the implementation of short- and long-term solutions to restore public confidence and accountability.
In supporting the petition, the DA will call on all relevant organs of state including the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), the Department of Defence (Hoedspruit Air Force Base), National and Provincial Treasuries, CoGHSTA Limpopo, and the Mopani District and Maruleng Local Municipalities to reach agreement and secure emergency funding for the repair, maintenance, and expansion of the Drakensig and Kampersrus water and sanitation works.
This intervention is essential as an interim measure to address the collapse of Hoedspruit’s systems and to enable the lifting of the development moratorium, while longer-term infrastructure solutions are implemented.
While Premier Phophi Ramathuba celebrated FlySafair’s inaugural flight to Hoedspruit’s Eastgate Airport with a traditional water salute (see here), residents, business owners, and developers met under the leadership of our DA Ward Councillor to confront a crisis of catastrophic proportions, the collapse of Hoedspruit’s water and sanitation systems, which has forced the Maruleng Municipality to impose the moratorium on all new development. See here and here.
Hoedspruit and its surrounding conservation and hospitality industries have been among Limpopo’s few developmental success stories, a growing hub for tourism, commerce, and jobs. This progress now faces a grinding halt, with dire consequences for property sales, investment, development, jobs, and livelihoods.
The DA has repeatedly warned of this impending crisis and called for urgent action, yet those warnings were ignored. While we have been left with no choice but to support the moratorium, we do so with strong reservations and a demand for decisive, time-bound action.
A moratorium is a blunt instrument and must be strictly temporary not a substitute for responsible governance, planning, and investment. Experience, notably in the ANC-led Polokwane Municipality, has shown that “temporary” moratoria often drag on for years, entrenching stagnation through indecision and mismanagement.
The root cause lies with the Mopani District Municipality as the Water Services Authority, and with oversight departments particularly CoGHSTA and the DWS, which have failed in their duties.
For over 25 years, Mopani has lacked a coherent plan to meet Hoedspruit’s growing demands. Infrastructure originally built for the Hoedspruit Air Force Base now operates at 150% capacity, serving tens of thousands — worsened by millions wasted on incomplete and bungled projects.
The DA’s analysis indicates that if emergency funding is secured for the immediate repair and expansion of the Drakensig and Kampersrus facilities, the moratorium could be lifted within 12 months, allowing development to resume while longer-term bulk and reticulation projects are implemented.