LAND-USE MANAGEMENT IN LEPHALALE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

This report examines land-use management in the Lephalale Local Municipality, focusing on the challenges of a municipality that owns almost no land within its urban edge. It details the municipality's strategies for land acquisition, the provision of integrated human settlements, and the incremental introduction of land-use schemes in rural areas under traditional authorities, specifically the Seleka Traditional Authority. The document highlights the influence of major mining and energy companies, the impact of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), and the complexities of intergovernmental relations.

• The Lephalale Local Municipality (LLM) faces severe land constraints, owning almost no land within its urban edge. According to the municipality's IDP, only "9.12 % belonging to government", while Eskom owns 13.63%, Exxaro 20.76%, and private individuals 56.38%.
• The municipality's land acquisition strategy relies heavily on donations and purchases from major landowners, specifically Exxaro and Eskom. These transactions often operate on a "bartering system" where land is donated in exchange for discounts on bulk infrastructure payments or the reservation of housing units for company employees.
• The provision of integrated human settlements is hindered by intra-governmental misalignment and funding issues. Projects such as the Altoostyd (Joe Slovo) and Marapong Community Residential Units (CRU) have been delayed by "budget constraints and high staff turnover at the HDA", as well as contractual challenges between service providers.
• National government departments have interfered with municipal land-use decisions, as seen in the case of the Groothoek Coal Mining Company. The Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) issued an environmental authorisation for a mine in contravention of the municipality's land-use planning schemes, placing a mine within residential boundaries.
• The municipality struggles to enforce land-use regulations and zoning by-laws due to limited financial and technical resources. Approximately "80% of the applications made to the municipality are going ahead illegally" without approval, and developers often threaten legal action if applications are turned down.
• Under the Seleka Traditional Authority, land tenure is diverse and contested, consisting of three main forms: land owned by the Seleka Royal family, land legally owned by residents (known as "borekoa"), and state land under the custodianship of the traditional authority ("Trust farms").
• The incremental introduction of land-use schemes in rural areas, as mandated by SPLUMA, is slow and faces several challenges. These include a lack of GIS data sets for rural areas, delays in surveying land (due to dependence on Coghsta), and the allocation of stands on unsuitable sites, such as flood plains of the Palala river.
• The District Development Model (DDM), launched in November 2019, aims to strengthen cooperative governance in the Waterberg District. In Lephalale, this involves projects such as the Waterberg Rail Expansion Programme and the Mokolo Crocodile Bulk Water Distribution, though some officials report having heard little of the model since its launch.

APA

Monama, E. (n.d.). LAND-USE MANAGEMENT IN LEPHALALE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY. Public Affairs Research Institute. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LephalaleWeb_20230309.pdf

Chicago

Monama, Emma. LAND-USE MANAGEMENT IN LEPHALALE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY. Public Affairs Research Institute, n.d. https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LephalaleWeb_20230309.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Monama |first1=Emma |title=LAND-USE MANAGEMENT IN LEPHALALE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY |publisher=Public Affairs Research Institute |url=https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LephalaleWeb_20230309.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{monamandlanduse, author = {Monama, Emma}, title = {{LAND-USE MANAGEMENT IN LEPHALALE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY}}, institution = {Public Affairs Research Institute}, url = {https://pari.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/LephalaleWeb_20230309.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }