A township development that the J.B. Marks local municipality has earmarked for the Vyhoek area has ruffled feathers within the Freedom Front Plus camp.
The development will be located between the N12 and the Carletonville Road next to Tuscany Ridge, de Land Estate and Van der Hoff park.
According to Willie Maphosa, the council spokesperson, ‘the Vyfhoek and Mooibank housing development schemes are still in the early consultative and planning stages that include all the related studies. The project will provide about 3 326 and 1 000 residential houses respectively’.
He added that the environmental impact assessment and the engineering service plan report for the mixed land use township in Vyfhoek are in the planning stages. ‘In planning and development, you plan for the people as the end-users of the space. All the developments go ahead once all the factors like the installation of services and the alienation process have been finalised,’ he said.
Council’s decision has irked the FF Plus, which is currently seeking legal advice on the matter. ‘We will engage with the affected community shortly,’ says Mr Fanie du Toit, an FF Plus councillor in J.B. Marks.
He says the proposed development will cover 200 hectares and will consist of about 6 000 houses in the following portions of the Farm Vyfhoek 428 IQ of Potchefstroom: 693, 694, 695, 697, 806, 807, 808, 989, 988 and 990.
In previous council meetings, the FF Plus was the only party unhappy with the township development and strongly opposed it.
‘We voted against the development on 27 February 2018. We confirmed the fact that we are not in favour of the development in the council meeting of March 2018. At the council meeting in Ikageng last year, we expressed our concern about the proposed development and with good reason,’ he says.
Why does the FF Plus oppose the township development?
According to Du Toit, there are many reasons why his party is opposed to this development.
‘Currently, J.B. Marks can’t maintain the infrastructure we have in the suburbs. The roads are deteriorating and the water pipelines need to be replaced because of mismanagement and a lack of funds. Establishing a new township is just not economically viable,’ he said.
‘Adding the extra sewage from another development to the currently overloaded system will be disastrous.
‘Assuming that there is an average of two to three children per household, it will mean that between 12 000 and 18 000 children will need to be schooled in the direct area. There are currently no funds to build more schools and the existing schools in the area are already full.
‘Establishing more roads in the area will mean an increase in the traffic on the N12, R501 and M.C. Roode roads.
‘Establishing a mixed housing development will probably negatively affect the current house market in the area and result in financial losses to the current owners,’ he said.
Vyfhoek development has been an issue for 20 years, says DA
The DA caucus leader, Alderman Chris Landsberg says this issue has been going on for nearly two decades.
‘We are surprised that this development (proposed by the Housing Development Agency) has suddenly resurfaced and cannot but question the ANC’s motives. Too often in the past, we have seen the ANC in J.B. Marks use certain matters to win support but never see the projects and developments through,’ he said.
He says the DA supports the development and job creation with certain conditions if they will benefit all the existing residents.
‘We, as the DA, have added the following recommendation that has already been adopted by the council:
‘That the process of township establishment follows the applicable legislation and that the public participation processes are conducted at no cost to the council.
‘That this HDA development complements and links up with the existing and future developments along and next to the N12 in terms of the spatial development framework, including roads and street layout, infrastructure installation, open spaces and parks,’ he said.
The DA also recommended that the development is in line with council’s proposed road network and the electrical, sewer and water supply master plans.
Landsberg added that council and the HDA should note that a large number of rezoning applications for business and office developments have been approved adjacent to the N12. The area is fast becoming a mixed land use zone, mainly because of the exposure and accessibility the N12 provides.
The other recommendation is that ‘the Directorate of Economic Development draws up a plan to promote clean, labour-intensive industrial businesses in the area,’ he said.
‘As the official opposition, we will continue to play our oversight role. Because of our deep-rooted love for Potchefstroom and all our communities, we will only support responsible development that will benefit all,’ he concluded.
*‘The Housing Development Agency (HDA) is a national public sector development agency. It acquires and prepares the land, develops it and manages the housing development and human settlement projects. They carry out activities in partnership with a range of stakeholders, including national, provincial and local government and municipalities. It does the same with communities, developers, financiers and other affected parties.
Established in 2009, the Agency was established through an Act of Parliament in 2008 and is accountable to the Minister of Human Settlements through its board.’ (Source: Housing Development Agency).
