By Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements Tasneem Motara has delivered a stern warning to land invaders, declaring that the provincial government will no longer prioritize illegal informal settlements when distributing state-subsidized houses.
Speaking at the long-awaited sod-turning event for the Mabopane Extension 1 housing development in Tshwane, Motara emphasized that the state’s primary focus must shift back to applicants who have patiently respected legal channels. According to the MEC, housing allocations will now prioritize individuals who applied between 1996 and 1999.
“Informal settlements take us back and we cannot keep prioritising those who act illegally because what they are doing is acting illegally, invading land trying to be prioritised,” Motara stated. While acknowledging that the government still has a mandate to provide basic services to informal settlements, she firmly noted that it cannot come at the expense of those who “are patient and obeying the law”.
Unblocking Stalled Mega Projects
The high-profile launch—attended by City of Tshwane Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya and MMC for Human Settlements Aaron Maluleka—marks a critical turning point for the Mabopane Extension 1 project. Designed to yield 1,576 housing units upon its scheduled completion in June 2027, the initiative had previously stalled after the provincial department was forced to terminate contracts with two separate underperforming contractors.
Motara noted that provincial leadership is aggressively stepping up intervention measures to tackle housing backlogs across metro municipalities, unblocking historically stalled projects where possible. “We are not satisfied as a provincial department of Human Settlements with the numbers that we are building in a metro municipality that has a huge backlog,” Motara said.
A Unified Front Against Land Grabs
City of Tshwane leadership echoed the province’s uncompromising stance on rule of law and project security. Mayor Nasiphi Moya praised intergovernmental cooperation, highlighting the active role played by the local community in safeguarding the project site from unlawful occupation.
Meanwhile, MMC Aaron Maluleka issued a direct caution to potential opportunists attempting to hijack municipal developments.
- Eviction Readiness: “We want to discourage those who have plans to invade our projects. We have our eviction orders ready, if you take chances we are going to remove you,” Maluleka warned.
- Anti-Corruption Warning: Maluleka further cautioned residents against paying bribes to fixers or attempting to jump the official housing queue, stressing that any illegal occupants will face swift removal.
With the third contractor now on site and municipal-provincial relations galvanized, the Mabopane project serves as a key test case for whether Gauteng can successfully accelerate housing delivery while penalizing queue-jumping and land grabs.
