More than 200 poor households from the Tshikota area will hopefully soon receive RDP houses. This announcement was made by the Makhado mayor, Cllr Shonisani Sinyosi, during a sod-turning ceremony held at Tshikota a fortnight ago.
In January this year, residents illegally invaded a piece of council-owned land and started to erect shacks. They were accusing the Makhado Municipality of refusing to develop the land for residential purposes, while they did not have houses.
The Makhado Municipality approached the Thohoyandou High Court on 16 January, requesting an order to prohibit people from illegally occupying the land. This request for a court order, being uncontested, was granted. The respondents were identified as Jacob Khosa, Tshepo Sebola and "unlawful occupiers".
The occupation of land continued, with more threats of invasion of the land dubbed "Sihlalangenkani". In an affidavit filed at the High Court, the Makhado municipal manager, Mr Freddy Tshivhenga, argued that part of the land being occupied illegally had been earmarked as a cemetery to bury deceased from Tshikota Township. Another part of the land had been earmarked for a low-cost housing development, while yet another section had been set aside to provide in the demand of private buyers who wanted to develop their own houses.
"The illegal development that so continues is against all town-planning and environmental laws and will be impossible to reverse after an enduring period of time," Tshivhenga argued.
Mayor Sinyosi announced shortly afterwards that the municipality planned on building RDP houses and this intention was demonstrated to the community two weeks ago when the sod-turning ceremony was held. "We urge our ward councillor, SANCO and other community structures to help identify the needy, poor and homeless people, so that we can speed up the delivery of houses. We want our poor communities to own and live in decent houses that we will build," said Sinyosi.
The leader of the Tshikota Concern Group, Mr Jacob Khoza, said that residents looked forward to seeing the construction of the RDP houses commencing soon. "We are hoping that the municipality will speed up the project as the mayor has promised," he said.