Central SA
North West Sopa: Mahikeng housing project may soon restart─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 11:48 Thu, 27 Feb 2025
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A housing project in Mahikeng, North West, has faced further delays due to maladministration and mismanagement.
Premier Lazarus Mokgosi revealed these setbacks during his State of the Province Address (Sopa) in the provincial legislature in Mmabatho on Thursday (27/2).
The Marang Estate project in Unit 3 was envisioned as a social housing development comprising 2,400 units. Overseen by the Social Housing Regulatory Authority (SHRA), it was meant to provide for the province’s growing housing needs, Mokgosi said.
However, it was blocked following discoveries of irregular land sales by the Mahikeng Municipality to the developer, coupled with misappropriation of the approved budget.
In 2023, more than R1 billion was set aside by the provincial government to address housing backlogs in the province.
Mokgosi said criminal investigations into the project are being jointly conducted by the NPA, National Treasury, and Hawks. As part of these investigations, the NPA secured a court-issued forfeiture order to transfer properties linked to the project to relevant entities such as the North West Department of Human Settlements, Mahikeng Municipality, or the SHRA.
Project to be resuscitated
The incomplete estate is under the control of a curator who must ensure that the site and its associated properties are preserved.
“This milestone is significant in unlocking this flagship project, which has been blocked for more than ten years,” Mokgosi said. “We will continue engagements with the Social Housing Regulatory Authority to ensure that the project is resuscitated, in line with our commitment to complete all incomplete housing structures.”
Mokgosi also mentioned progress to address water and sanitation issues in Mahikeng and other municipalities. A R101 million sewer pipeline construction project in Mahikeng is set to start soon after the contractor has been introduced to the community.
Across the province, water and sanitation projects are underway in Moretele, Moses Kotane, Ramotshere Moiloa, Mamusa, and Naledi Municipalities, with a combined budget of R450 million.