Note to Broadcasters: Please find the attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans by CJ Steyl.
The DA has received correspondence from the North West MEC for Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (COGHSTA), Oageng Molapisi, confirming that the North West Housing Corporation (NWHC) does not have a waiver under the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) to proceed with internal construction at the Hillview mega project in the City of Matlosana. See the response to the DA’s letter here.
Unfortunately, MEC Molapisi failed to commit to halt all construction pending an investigation by the Portfolio Committee on COGHSTA as requested by the DA. Instead, MEC Molapisi’s response raises more questions than giving comfort.
MEC Molapisi confirmed that no exemption from the SPLUMA requirements has been granted to the NWHC by the City of Matlosana. He further indicated that, after consultation with the Mayor of the City of Matlosana, Cllr Fekile Mahlope, he indicated that approval was granted by Matlosana for the construction of external/bulk infrastructure and referred to a letter dated 13 May 2025. See letter here.
This letter confirms that no construction may proceed for internal infrastructure until the SPLUMA processes are completed and the project is approved but specifically limited to internal construction. However, as detailed in points 3 and 4 of the letter, external/bulk services remain the responsibility of the City of Matlosana, but the municipality may enter into an agreement with the NWHC for such construction.
No such agreement has been made available to us, which also requires a detailed breakdown of the scope of work, costs, funding, payment and compliance requirements or written exemptions. Point 5 of the letter also states that no construction may proceed until these requirements have been met. We have no guarantee that all requirements have been met.
No such agreement or any related approvals and/or exemptions have been made available to us in the correspondence received from MEC Molapisi, and neither can they be publicly accessed.
The DA Caucus Leader in the City of Matlosana, Cllr Gerhard Strydom, has already requested copies of the agreement and all related approvals and/or exemptions.
The DA has also been approached by a whistleblower indicating that the construction of the bulk sewerage pipeline through the wetland near Hillview does not have an environmental impact assessment and approval. If true, this construction would be illegal, and the related expenditure would be irregular.
But in all the correspondence and information we have received, no disclosure has been made on which entity will be funding the R471 million bulk infrastructure project at the Hillview Township Development.
Neither the NWHC nor the City of Matlosana has the available funding to accommodate this project. Allocating R471 million towards bulk infrastructure construction for a mega city project that has still not been approved under SPLUMA and which has no confirmed funding to see its completion raises the question of who seeks to benefit – because it is clearly not the residents of Matlosana.
This Hillview project increasingly looks like a corrupt racketeering scheme.
The DA has again written to COGHSTA MEC Oageng Molapisi to immediately bring construction to a halt pending a full investigation and disclosure. See letter here.
We have also brought these latest developments to the attention of the Chairperson of the Committee, Kgalalelo Makgokgowa MPL, to expedite the scheduling of an urgent meeting so that MEC Oageng Molapisi, the NWHC, the Department of Human Settlements and the City of Matlosana can account to the Legislature for what appears to be an entirely illegal project putting R471 million of public money at risk of theft. See letter here.
The DA will leave no stone unturned until there is full disclosure and accountability for every single action taken at the Hillview Township Project.