The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) has successfully halted the municipality’s unilateral and unauthorised development of a soccer field for its employees at Jetty 3, Tzaneen Dam.
However, key questions remain unanswered for which we will put written questions to the municipality for reply:
- Who approved the project?
- How much has been spent or wasted on developing the field and repairing the damage to the farming sector’s irrigation canal?
- From which budget vote were funds misappropriated?
- Why was the existing water servitude ignored?
- Who will be held accountable?
The matter came to light after community members alerted DA Councillor Chrisma Bredenkamp to trees being felled on a portion of Jetty 3 owned by the municipality. Enquiries confirmed that the GTM had begun clearing the land to construct a soccer field for municipal employees a revelation that raised more questions than answers.
Running through the land in question is a servitude registered in terms of the National Water Act, 1998, which carries the Pusela Water Canal owned by the local irrigation board. This canal supplies irrigation water to the farming sector. Proceeding without the rights holder’s consent or legal cancellation of the servitude was both unlawful and reckless. To make matters worse, the municipality’s mechanical backhoe damaged the canal multiple times during land clearing, causing further costs and water losses.
At no stage during the municipal budget process was there any allocation for this project. Nor did GTM committees or Council ever approve the development of such a field. It is incomprehensible how such expenditure could be justified when the municipality already allocates only 5.42% of its budget to infrastructure maintenance far below national stipulation while basic service delivery continues to collapse.
While the DA notes the undertaking by the Director of Engineering that the soccer field project will be abandoned, the unanswered questions demand accountability. Those responsible must face consequences. Good governance is built on transparency, responsibility, and consequence management, not on unilateral decisions and the misuse of public resources.
Where the DA governs, we govern responsibly and for the public good.