HOEDSPRUIT – The Maruleng Local Municipality has announced a twelve-month moratorium on all new development applications and connections to the Drakensig Water and Wastewater Treatment Works, citing serious capacity constraints.

The decision was taken during Council’s official meeting on September 8, under item SC02/09/2025, and will directly affect property development in Hoedspruit Town, Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate, Raptors View Wildlife Estate, and Raptors Escape.

Municipal spokesperson Justice Shipalana said the measure was unavoidable to safeguard both residents and future developments.

“The current water and sanitation infrastructure at Drakensig has reached its limits,” Shipalana explained. “Council cannot, in good conscience, continue approving applications that will put additional pressure on already strained systems. This moratorium gives us time to plan for and invest in capacity upgrades.”

Under the moratorium, all applications that would increase densities, such as rezoning, township establishment, or new building plans, are suspended.

Developers may still submit applications for long-term planning, but strict conditions will apply: no building plans, rezonings, or township promulgations will be approved until extra capacity is made available.

Landowners with independent water and sanitation systems will be permitted to proceed, provided they receive approval from both the Maruleng Technical Services Department and the Mopani District Municipality.

The Council has also moved to tidy up long-standing cases, ruling that development applications approved more than five years ago, but not acted upon or renewed, are now deemed to have lapsed.

Likewise, approvals granted prior to the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) of 2013, where owners never complied with conditions or submitted building plans, will no longer be valid.

Despite the restrictions, a number of estates and developments remain unaffected by the moratorium, as they are not connected to the Drakensig works. These include:

• Elephant Rock.
• Blyde Wildlife.
• Blyde Botanical Gardens.
• Bedford Estate Kampersrus.
• Zandspruit Manor.
• Zandspruit Bush and Aero.
• Zandspruit Valley.
• Blyde Canyon.
• Leadwood Moditlo.
• Riversdale.
• Moriah.
• and private farms with independent infrastructure.

Shipalana emphasised that the pause is a proactive step rather than a setback: “We understand that developers and landowners may feel frustrated, but this is about ensuring sustainable growth. Hoedspruit is expanding rapidly, and without the necessary infrastructure upgrades, we risk compromising the very quality of life that makes this town attractive in the first place.”

The moratorium will remain in effect for twelve months, during which the municipality will work closely with stakeholders to address water and wastewater capacity challenges in the Drakensig catchment area.