MBOMBELA – Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM) has ordered the construction of illegal structures to cease opposite the T-junction of the Agricultural College Road with the KaNyamazane Road.
Building plans for housing structures, believed to be accommodation units for tourists, were rejected in 2011, yet the owner continued to build until last week.
Mr Macdonald Mabuya, owner of the property, said MLM “took too long to approve the plans” so he started anyway.
Construction between the KaNyamazane Road and the Crocodile River started in 2010, but plans were only submitted – and effectively rejected – in April 2011.
According to a report in Lowvelder’s possession, Mabuya failed to submit land-use rights of the property, which led to the rejection.
He also applied to build a residential dwelling for himself and this application was approved in 2014, three years after construction had already begun.
Upon enquiry, Mabuya said he didn’t know whether the plans had been approved or not. He also didn’t know what exactly was being constructed on the site.
“I don’t know how many buildings are being built. I am not the project manager. I just own the property and fund everything.”
The report also divulged that MLM served Mabuya with legal notices on Friday, ordering to cease construction since it was illegal. However, Mabuya claimed to have no knowledge of the notices.
“I was under the impression everything had been cleared,” Mabuya said.
Although the application was submitted to build houses for tourists, he said he only wanted to build “platforms where truck drivers could wash their vehicles and stuff”.
Mabuya said he would continue with construction next year, if his applications were approved.
