The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) has formally approached the Tshwane Metro Council to obtain answers following rumours of a large-scale housing development at 531 Nico Smit Street in Gezina, where up to 400 people could potentially be accommodated in an area where service delivery is already vulnerable.
The uncertainty surrounding the project is causing significant concern among residents, particularly because there has been no official communication from the Metro’s side.
Residents of Gezina and northern Pretoria already experience frequent power outages because the electricity network is overloaded, and the Freedom Front Plus wishes to emphasise that developments of this scale cannot proceed without community consultation.
The Freedom Front Plus addressed administrative enquiries to the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Development and Spatial Planning, Sarah Mabotsa, to obtain the facts.
The party specifically requests:
- confirmation of whether there has been an application to develop 531 Nico Smit Street;
- an explication of local substations’ capacity in light of the electricity network crisis; and
- an undertaking that all processes will comply with applicable legislation, such as the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), avoiding administrative shortcuts.
Established suburbs such as Gezina should not have their infrastructure jeopardised by rash projects.
The Metro should immediately inform the community of the exact plans for the site and convene a public meeting as soon as a formal application for development has been confirmed.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep a close eye on the matter while keeping the pressure on to ensure that residents’ interests and Tshwane’s infrastructure are safeguarded.
Freedom Front Plus Public Participation: The party encourages public participation in governance.
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