18 Dec 2013

The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Housing, Mr Thato Raphaka says the new Revised Town and Country Planning Act will give local authorities including districts councils control in land planning.

He said the town and country planning board has been disbanded and replaced with the Land Tribunal at district levels. Mr Raphaka was addressing the Southern district full council meeting held in Kanye recently.

He said the Act will empower the local authorities to make timely decisions on matters of land planning and development. Mr Raphaka explained that the revision was meant to bring land services closer to people after realising that the law that used to regulate land planning was too central. He said physical planning committees in councils would involve two councillors and six officials from planning, environment, business and other relevant fields. Mr Raphaka said the arrangement would start in April 2014.

Mr Raphaka further explained that the motive behind the act was to involve districts in the planning process, adding that it would also alleviate cases of having to move people from certain areas to give way for developments.

Earlier in his opening speech, Southern District Council chairperson, Mr Leach Tlhomelang said Moshupa, Mabutsane and Good Hope were now planning areas.

He said the district was facilitating the gazettement of the villages by surveying their proposed planning area boundaries. He noted that the surveying of the Good Hope boundary has been completed and submitted to the Department of Surveys for approval. He added that Mabutsane was in the process of being survied by the land board. Meanwhile, councillors welcomed the act and requested the Ministry of Lands and Housing to speed up the guidelines processes.

They called for ploughing fields to be included in the planning areas. ENDS