Legal landowners of identified 17 illegal townships and developments are urged to consult the Tshwane metro’s Mayoral Sub-committee on Illegal Townships, as the second phase of consultations starts.

The process began on February 2 and forms part of the city’s broader strategy to assess and address the status of illegal settlements within the municipality.

Following engagements with landowners, the second phase will extend to residents through public hearings scheduled to start on February 14.

These hearings will give residents an opportunity to engage directly with the sub-committee on issues affecting their communities.

The sub-committee, chaired by the MMC for Human Settlements Alderman Aaron Maluleka, seeks to collaboratively determine sustainable solutions to the challenges posed by illegal township developments.

Maluleka said the committee was established after the city identified 17 illegal townships and developments within Pretoria’s boundaries.

“Many of these settlements have been established on council-owned land, private land, or land owned by other organs of state without adhering to legal requirements for land development and township establishment.”

According to Maluleka, in many cases, formal township applications were not submitted, and environmental and planning approvals were bypassed.

“Essential bulk infrastructure services such as water, electricity, sanitation, and roads were neither planned nor installed.”

Maluleka added that these illegal townships face serious challenges, including inadequate service delivery, poor spatial integration, increased pressure on municipal infrastructure, and safety concerns linked to unlawful land occupation and overcrowding.

“The committee’s mandate includes identifying and profiling all illegal townships within the City of Tshwane.”

He explained that the city is urging landowners to engage with the sub-committee to foster constructive dialogue and collaboratively develop solutions that will address the challenges of illegal township developments.

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