Eviction and relocation of Mooibank community a disaster

Issued by Cllr Johan Zerwick – DA Councillor, JB Marks Local Municipality
25 Apr 2023 in Press Statements

The DA in the JB Marks Local Municipality is shocked by the poor planning of the municipality to relocate the Mooibank residents to an area in Promosa.

Since last week, there have been heavy debates amongst residents and Councillors from both Promosa and Mooibank about the stands at the cleared area near Promosa where the Mooibank residents were relocated to. The stands that were originally demarcated to occupy 267 homes increased to 651 to accommodate more people.

Residents of Promosa are upset with the municipality for making space to accommodate the Mooibank residents when they themselves have been begging for space to build homes since there is a lack of housing in Promosa.

Promosa, considered a safety hazard in its entirety, is covered with raw sewage and exposed manholes, dysfunctional streetlights, and overgrown grass which leads to higher crime rates.

While the municipality’s housing department is trying to verify the Mooibank people who need stands, people, especially the elderly, who have been on the municipality’s waiting list for housing and stands for years are being ignored and sidelined.

A disagreement between the MMC for Housing, Cllr Ryan Swarts, and ANC Councillors is causing the housing department to become more dysfunctional because of political meddling.

As a result of the dispute between Promosa, Mooibank, and the JB Marks municipality, Mooibank residents had to spend the whole weekend unable to rebuild their homes as they were not allocated stands to occupy. Mooibank families, including small children, were left to stay in the open air and cold when their houses were broken down and damaged. See image here.

The DA is particularly alarmed by the manner in which people are allocated stands in a dolomite area without the required Environmental Impact Assessment and without any utility infrastructure, such as water, electricity, or sanitation, which directly contravenes the High Court of Mahikeng’s court order that stated the Mooibank residents were to be relocated to a better location.

A motion will be brought to Council by the DA because the entire process to relocate Mooibank residents and allocate the stands was never approved by Council, but rather steamrolled from one contravention of human rights to another, seeing the abuse of Mooibank and Promosa residents without any fairness or transparency.

We will also write to the North West MEC of COGTA, Lenah Miga, requesting her immediate intervention in the JB Marks Housing Department to ensure that Mooibank residents receive stands in areas with access to utility infrastructure and that residents who have been on the waiting list also be prioritised and not be pushed back on the list or ignored.