25 Aug 2026

Severe budgetary shortages continue to hamper the Mabutsane District Council’s ability to meet the high demand for affordable housing, a situation compounded by a P5 million unpaid loan balance recorded as of July 31.

Speaking during a full council meeting on Monday, council chairperson, Mr Tuelo Zulu revealed that the Bonno National Housing Scheme operated as a revolving fund. 

He explained that the programme’s long-term sustainability depended entirely on beneficiaries making timely repayments to replenish its financial reserves.

Mr Zulu noted that high default rates among past beneficiaries had severely depleted available funds. 

He thus appealed to debtors to clear their balances, emphasising that repayments were critical to rebuilding the fund and extending housing support to eligible applicants on the waiting list.

However, he said despite financial constraints, local sub-landboards were proceeding with land servicing and allocation. 

He indicated that the Maokane sub-landboard had reserved 34 residential plots and 31.3 hectares of land, specifically for the Bonno housing scheme.

Reporting on first-quarter performance, Mr Zulu stated that sub-landboards were making progress towards their targets, with the Mabutsane sub-landboard having reached 54.9 per cent progress rate by allocating 72 of its targeted 131 plots, which included 18 residential plots in Kutuku and 54 ploughing fields across Mabutsane and Kanaku. 

Meanwhile, he said the Maokane sub-landboard allocated 324 out of 741 targeted plots, delivering 162 residential plots in Samane, 159 in Maokane and three in Mokhomma.

In the agricultural sector, he said the sub-landboards successfully allocated four ploughing fields in each of the villages of Samane and Mokhomma. 

Again, he said, the layout for the Sese general plan, comprising about 101 plots, was currently awaiting formal registration. 

Once registered, he said, the plots would be allocated via the Land Information System. ends