23 Mar 2021

Council physical planners role is to approve and regulate physical planning services and instruments, says Minister of Local Development and Rural Development, Mr Eric Molale.

 The minister referred to the Town and Country Planning Act of 2013.

He said the public design services for sub-division of plots were, therefore, offered by private practitioners to avoid conflict of interest.

He further noted that the physical planning service pricing, fees and charges were not regulated, and that they were determined by market forces of supply and demand. 

However he said government, through the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services, was in the process of establishing a body to regulate professional practitioners in the land management sector, which amongst others would look into service fees and charges.

He further said the names of registered physical planners were published in the Government Gazette at the beginning of every year in accordance with the provisions of Section 4 (2) (e) of the Town and Country Planning Act of 2013. He added that government availed the list of all registered private practitioners to all councils and that they could be accessed by the public.

Member of Parliament for Mahalapye West, Mr David Tshere had asked the minister if he was aware that the physical planning department did not offer the public design services during the sub-division of their plots 

Mr Tshere also wanted to know why such services were only offered by private companies, and how the ministry ensured that the public was not overcharged for such services. He also wanted to know what happened if no company in the district offered such services. ENDS