The KwaZulu-Natal Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer is arranging a meeting with police provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi to evict suspected hitmen, who are illegally occupying government flats and houses in Ulundi.

The houses in the old legislature precinct, were used by the ministers and officials under the then KwaZulu Government before the 1994 elections. They were left unused in 2004 when the ANC took over the provincial government and relocated the legislature to Pietermaritzburg.

The involvement of police top brass follows an incident where Public Works and Infrastructure’s asset audit team were threatened with guns during a recent visit to the properties.

Speaking at an event on Tuesday, Meyer said he had decided to ask for a meeting with the provincial commissioner because it is clear that people who are illegally occupying the government properties in Ulundi, are armed and dangerous.

“I can’t put the lives of my staff at risk. I am arranging a meeting with Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli and Commissioner Mkhwanazi to go back there. We need to know who these people are, where they came from and how they got there. The government needs to reclaim those properties from those people,” said Meyer.

He said his department is willing to negotiate with people who want to engage on the rent to buy programme, not those who want to occupy public assets through the barrel of a gun. He further warned illegal occupants to voluntarily leave government properties or face the full might of the law.

In total there are 357 government properties that are illegally occupied – 120 of them are in Durban while the majority is in Ulundi.

In total 81 government-owned properties that were either under-utilised or unused have been released for repurposing.

On Tuesday, Meyer signed a memorandum of understanding with Economic Development and Tourism MEC Reverend Musa Zondi and Agriculture MEC Thembeni kaMadlopha-Mthethwa.  The agreement sees Public Works and Infrastructure releasing 11 farms to Agriculture and Rural Development and a shoe factory building to Economic Development and Tourism.

KaMadlopha-Mthethwa thanked Meyer for the release of the farms and said her department was ready to repurpose these underutilised farms for rural and economic development, benefiting provincial farmers.

She said the department will soon issue notices for proposals, saying the process will be transparent and that most of the farms are in the Endumenu Local Municipality in Dundee while others are in the Uthukela District Municipality.

Zondi hailed the agreement, saying it is not just an agreement between three departments, but a bold statement that government can work smarter, faster, and together to unlock the full value of the province’s assets, ‘especially the land that has for too long remained idle, under-utilised, or hijacked’.

“This collaboration is about bringing life back to our land, transforming abandoned properties into centres of activity, productivity, and dignity. Through this partnership, we are aligning Public Works, Agriculture, and Economic Development around one shared mission: to make land a catalyst for food security, industrial growth, and job creation,” said Zondi

He further said that funding entities such as Ithala and the KZN Growth Fund are standing ready to assist people who want to start businesses on the properties.

Public Works and Infrastructure will save R25 million in rates and levies by offloading the 81 properties. In total, the province owns 10, 000 properties.

willem.phungula@inl.co.za

Source link