TZANEEN – The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) has intervened to stop the unauthorised development of a soccer field for municipal employees at Jetty 3 near Tzaneen Dam.

DA flags unlawful land clearing at Jetty 3

According to the DA, the project began without official approval and involved clearing municipal land. The party says the development was halted after community members alerted DA Cllr Chrisma Bredenkamp to trees being felled in the area. Enquiries revealed the municipality was preparing a soccer field intended for staff use.

Concerns were raised about the legality of the project, as the land contains a registered water servitude under the National Water Act (1998). The servitude carries the Pusela Water Canal, owned and maintained by the local irrigation board, which supplies water to nearby farms.

The DA alleges the municipality proceeded without consent from the rights holder or any legal amendment to the servitude, describing the move as “unlawful and reckless.” The party further claims that a municipal backhoe damaged the canal during land clearing, causing water losses and repair costs for farmers.

“No record of the project could be found in the municipality’s budget documents,” Bredenkamp said. “The soccer field had not been discussed or approved by any GTM committee or council meeting. How such spending could be justified, given that only 5.42% of the municipal budget is allocated to infrastructure maintenance, is unclear, especially while service delivery challenges persist.”

In response, the municipality’s Engineering director reportedly undertook to abandon the soccer field project.

Municipality says project aimed to aid staff team

GTM head of communications Neville Ndlala said the project was intended to benefit the Municipal Empires football team and claimed no bylaws were breached. “The challenge may have been that there was no proper consultation. After receiving backlash, we halted the project,” he said.

He emphasised that the project was a routine operational matter. “It’s the same as when we do maintenance on potholes, water pipes, or other municipal infrastructure. It does not require a specific budget allocation because it is part of our day-to-day operational responsibilities,” Ndlala said.

Ndlala explained that the team needed an alternative training ground because the fields they had been using were unsuitable. “One of the fields is a golf range, which poses danger to players and conflicts with scheduled use. Other large schools’ fields are often unavailable because of ongoing training or matches,” he said.

He added that the proposed field would not have been exclusive to the soccer team. “As much as the intention was to provide a dedicated space for our soccer team, anyone who wanted to use the field would have access. We also have volleyball, netball, and basketball courts adjacent to the site, which are available to the community.”

Ndlala concluded that the municipality is considering alternative locations for the soccer field to ensure safety and accessibility, with better consultation with the community before starting the project.