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The Democratic Alliance (DA) has relentlessly fought for answers and progress on the allocation of sites to residents of Extension 2, Rheederpark, also known as 'Golf Course.’ However, a politically motivated process between Harmony and Matjhabeng Human Settlements Department has resulted in continuous frustration for residents, as they receive contradicting information from previous administrations.

To add to the frustration, the Matjhabeng Department of Human Settlements has returned over R67 million meant for housing residents back to the national government over two years. This negligence exemplifies the ANC's failure to fulfil its constitutional mandate to the residents of Matjhabeng.

Despite the DA's attempts to enquire about the ownership and donation of the land known as Vlakvlei from Harmony, they claim not to interact with politicians. Yet, they communicated with the office of the Mayor on 2 May 2023, creating confusion. Moreover, their communication contradicts the report from 16 January 2023, which stated that the land to be donated is contaminated.

Residents of the ‘Golf Course’ have been waiting since 2008 to receive promised sites. Multiple verification processes have yielded no results, and no efforts have been made to expedite the township establishment or engage with Harmony. Every South African family deserves access to adequate shelter, and the delays are denying these residents their dignity.

Worse still, community members report that a senior political leader stated that residents will only receive sites if they vote for the ANC, not the DA. A peaceful march and memorandum handover on 26 May 2023 to the MMC of Human Settlements yielded no response from officials, further neglecting the needs of the community.

The DA will not let the residents be side-lined any longer. We will continue to pressure the municipality to address this issue and provide the dignity that these residents deserve. We will reach out to the Free State Department of Human Settlements for intervention to end the continuous delays Matjhabeng caused in resolving land donations. The people's welfare is our priority, and we will fight tirelessly to uphold it.

Issued by Igor Scheurkogel - DA Caucus Leader Matjhabeng Local Municipality