Thieving ANC stealing land AGAIN

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2X840gNu7ZH_MYfNZoo9RlQjPtAN0YA9ZfAbgdOwbJ3MntIaa8XQwkTgJyf0v4pxXNF26o6ozgEEYzw1NNqpQ35ws4kEMWbGKFCK6FE_k-2vFA7rKzwgpTffSKyq0MJwjkahpL6srE8/s1600-h/housing4.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342376830201505410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig2X840gNu7ZH_MYfNZoo9RlQjPtAN0YA9ZfAbgdOwbJ3MntIaa8XQwkTgJyf0v4pxXNF26o6ozgEEYzw1NNqpQ35ws4kEMWbGKFCK6FE_k-2vFA7rKzwgpTffSKyq0MJwjkahpL6srE8/s400/housing4.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Details of a second large transfer of prime residential land to national government by the Western Cape's former ANC-led administration were revealed by the province's new housing MEC, Bonginkosi Madikizela, on Monday.<br /></span></strong><br />"In terms of the deal, 391.7 hectares of land owned by the provincial department of local government and housing are to be transferred to the Housing Development Agency [HDA]," he told a media briefing in Cape Town.<br /><br />Like the first deal, this too had taken place just before the 22 April elections. The agreement was signed on 20 April, and finalised on 4 May, the second-last day it was legally possible for the outgoing administration to sign off such documents.<br /><br />"This was done to frustrate us, as the new administration, so we don't deliver services," Madikizela told journalists.<br /><br />Ten days ago, details of the transfer of more than 1000 hectares of provincial housing land to national government by the previous administration were revealed by new Western Cape premier Helen Zille.<br /><br />"This land, worth about half-a-billion rand, and large enough to accommodate nearly 100 000 houses, was transferred free of charge... without informing the public or the City of Cape," she said at the time.<br /><br />The latest land deal involves six parcels of land — totalling 391.7 hectares — in both the Cape Town metropole and near Stellenbosch.<br /><br />Five of the land parcels are located east of the R300 and north of the N2 national road. A sixth comprises 11 erven in Grassy Park and Zeekoevlei.<br /><br />Madikizela on Monday said the latest land agreement was "highly unusual" because it involved a deed of sale.<br /><br />"Usually an LAA [land availability agreement] allows the department to retain ownership, while giving another agency permission to develop the land. This LAA... provides for a full transfer of the land to the HDA."<br /><br />A term of the agreement was the HDA had five years to decide whether to develop the land for housing.<br /><br />"In other words, the province has no say over whether this land can be developed to achieve our own delivery objectives."<br /><br />The agreement had also bypassed the province's legal services department.<br /><br />"The inference must be made that the outgoing administration was not confident about the legality of the deal."<br /><br />Madikizela said the province was seeking legal opinion on the two lots of land transfers. He was also set to meet HDA head Taffy Adler on Tuesday, to "ascertain what the HDA intends to do with the land".<br /><br />He said both of the land deals that had come to light were "cynical attempts too stymie the incoming administration". </span></p>

Thieving ANC stealing land AGAIN

Details of a second large transfer of prime residential land to national government by the Western Cape's former ANC-led administration ...

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Proposed mega-development a mockery of environmental legislation

<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1HkUCyZPzL7FLH9upe47h1SmVYWXVUF70rLDU_nJqc2GFXTgRJQLJAQcWM4_tmnAi3-msdxrxLsCBk-M5jMmnNTn2GQeZAkSfBvn0kaDeUoXIHCDDDStq2j7sagVaKqt42YJOHYwYqMM/s1600-h/hangrock-dev-plett.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324290473465159074" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE1HkUCyZPzL7FLH9upe47h1SmVYWXVUF70rLDU_nJqc2GFXTgRJQLJAQcWM4_tmnAi3-msdxrxLsCBk-M5jMmnNTn2GQeZAkSfBvn0kaDeUoXIHCDDDStq2j7sagVaKqt42YJOHYwYqMM/s400/hangrock-dev-plett.jpg" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 235px" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">THE proposed R1.5-billion Hanglip Golf Estate along the Wittedrift road on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay inches closer towards becoming a reality, as indicated by approval of its latest rezoning application.</span></strong><br /><br />After what appeared to be an abrupt change of heart by MEC Pierre Uys of the Department of Environmental Affairs & Development Planning (DEA&DP), to approve the initially denied Guide Plan application on December 24 last year, the area earmarked for the development has now received the go-ahead to be rezoned by Bitou Municipality, before receiving approval for the environmental Record of Decision (ROD).<br /><br />Confirmed during a March 9 Bitou mayoral committee meeting, the <strong><span style="color:#990000;">decision to rezone the area from agricultural to township development</span></strong> before the ROD has been issued, has been hailed by legal experts as highly unconventional.<br /><br />But the municipality claims that the process is taking place within legal parameters.<br /><br />Says Bitou town planner Ludolph Gericke: "This is not common practice, but it is also not against the law. The municipality has an obligation to look at the environment independently of the DEA&DP."<br /><br />The proposed Hanglip Estate - said to be the biggest foreign investment development in the Southern Cape - will be undertaken by Maponya Developments and a consortium of True Motives 46, a South African company owned by main shareholders of MWB in London.<br /><br />The development, to be situated on 1086 hectares of existing farmland, forest and fynbos in the Bitou Valley, consists of 720 houses, a five-star hotel, a golf course and polo field, as well as a separate village featuring a commercial centre, offices, apartments, a school and community hall.<br /><br />At present the development is still in the planning stages and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has yet to be approved, leaving some room for public appeal.<br /><br />"There is nothing the EIA does not comply with - our English partners made sure we went the extra mile in this regard," says Maponya Developments director Neil Lurie.<br /><br />Environmentalists are not satisfied, though, and are calling for the DEA&DP to seriously consider the environmental impact on the area and surrounds.<br /><br />According to Garden Route Initiative's critical biodiversity areas map, Hanglip - which has been identified as a priority corridor by the Eden to Addo Corridor Initiative in conjunction with SANParks - is listed as a critical biodiversity area.<br /><br />"If this development goes ahead it will make a mockery of our environmental legislation and international organisations such as the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund in Washington, who have invested in the Bitou Corridor and newly proclaimed Garden Route National Park," says Eden to Addo director Joan Berning.<br /><br />Although the developers have promised to rehabilitate certain areas of the Bitou River wetlands, their focus seems to be humanitarian and Maponya Developments have insisted that, as a condition of the ROD, a house to the value of R80 000 be built on municipal designated land, for every house that is sold in Hanglip Estate.<br /><br />"Houses will also be built in the estate for the top echelons of municipal staff," says Lurie, who is confident that jobs created during the building process would be sustained afterwards for maintenance purposes.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bitou Town planner Ludolph Gericke<br />Contact Details: Mobile: 083 461 9941.<br />Email: </span><a href="mailto:lgericke@plett.gov.za"><span style="font-family:arial;">lgericke@plett.gov.za</span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">.<br /><br /><span style="color:#000099;"><em>Related links -</em></span></span><br /><a href="http://news.propertyplettenberg.com/2009/04/13/hanglip-development-destroying-plettenberg-for-the-sake-of-some-municipality-staff-pockets/"><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>Hanglip development: public interest trashed the sake of some municipality staff </em></span></a><br /><a href="http://news.propertyplettenberg.com/"><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>http://news.propertyplettenberg.com/</em></span></a> <p><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:130%;"><strong><span style="color:#990000;">Hat-Tip Sara </span></strong></span></p><p></p><p></p>

Proposed mega-development a mockery of environmental legislation

THE proposed R1.5-billion Hanglip Golf Estate along the Wittedrift road on the outskirts of Plettenberg Bay inches closer towards becoming a...

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