The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo will write to the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (CoGHSTA), Mr Basikopo Makamu, to urgently investigate whether the Municipal Manager of the Vhembe District Municipality, Mr Norman Kutama, has contravened the Code of Conduct for municipal staff members. This follows the unauthorised clearing of more than six hectares of indigenous vegetation on his personal property near Makhado in a highly ecologically sensitive area.
The DA has also formally objected to Kutama’s retrospective environmental authorisation application made in terms of section 24G of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), which seeks to regularise this unlawful activity after the fact.
The clearing took place within the buffer zone of the Kruger National Park and the UNESCO-recognised Vhembe Biosphere Reserve—an area of exceptional biodiversity that may support endangered species such as the African wild dog.
Officials tasked with upholding the law cannot be allowed to retrospectively legitimise their own unlawful conduct. As Municipal Manager and accounting officer, Mr Kutama bears a heightened duty to ensure compliance, uphold good governance, and maintain public trust. Public officials must be held to a higher standard.
The Code of Conduct requires officials to act in a manner that does not compromise the integrity of the municipality. Where the accounting officer is himself implicated in potential environmental violations, this raises serious concerns regarding misconduct and fitness for office.
Allowing this clearing to be regularised through a Section 24G application risks undermining the rule of law. The DA has therefore requested that the Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism (LEDET) reject the application outright, given the ecological sensitivity of the site.
Should the application nonetheless be considered, the maximum administrative fine must be imposed, together with independent biodiversity assessments, full rehabilitation where possible, and consideration of a criminal investigation.
The DA calls on the MEC to ensure that this matter is investigated without delay and that appropriate disciplinary processes follow where warranted.
As the DA, we firmly believe that no person is above the law. This matter must be assessed with the utmost scrutiny and without preferential treatment.