Uncertainty looms at north church
Church insiders say metro wants them to move to make way for a park or creche.
The Tshwane metro said it was unaware of any recent visit by city officials to inform a Zion Christian Church (ZCC) in Akasia, north of Pretoria, that it must make way for a park or creche.
“The department knows nothing about these allegations,” metro spokesperson Lebogang Masooa told Rekord.
A church member, however, told a different story.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said officials were sent to the church recently to inform them that their church “was not supposed to be there”.
The piece of land on which the church is located was reportedly allocated to be either a park or creche.
Former ward 4 councillor Rebecca Morudu said the piece of land was allocated to the church during her tenure.
“This church was one of three churches which were prioritised when land was allocated to churches which had applied for municipal land.”
She said municipal land allocations made under former mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa’s tenure were aimed at “reversing the adverse effects of the Land Act of 1913”.
“When this specific portion of land was identified in 2013, I wrote a recommendation letter for the church to receive the land.”
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The finalisation of the land allocation, however, hit a snag when Morudu had to vacate office when the DA-led coalition government came to power after the 2016 local elections.
“I submitted the report to finalise the land donation just before we left office. It was awaiting finalisation,” she said.
She called on current councillor Ridge Petersen to complete the land allocation process.
“In government, when you find things in the process, you must continue with them,” she said.
Petersen, however, told Rekord it was wrong for the former councillor to assume he could simply take over the processes his predecessor already had underway.
“To say that the ward councillor will decide whether the church should stay or move is the wrong assumption,” Petersen said.
“The city’s planning team must also take into account the infrastructure and rezoning of that area.”
During Ramokgopa’s administration, it was said that over 170 land parcels had been donated to various churches.
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