Makana municipality unwillingly pays R100 000 for a section of land 40km away from Grahamstown as it has the best water supply.
The land is located at the farming district of Seven Fountains, and the municipality aims to provide formal accommodation including building a borehole for a number of people already living there in shacks, and mud houses.
Makana municipality unwillingly pays R100 000 for a section of land 40km away from Grahamstown as it has the best water supply.
The land is located at the farming district of Seven Fountains, and the municipality aims to provide formal accommodation including building a borehole for a number of people already living there in shacks, and mud houses.
At its most recent meeting, the council approved the purchase of the land saying, “There were no other places in the area with reliable sources of water.”
According to an official report by the municipal manager, a number of boreholes had been drilled at Seven Fountains. One was found to be more reliable than the others, but the owner of the land refused to agree to a servitude in terms of which people would have access to the water. Instead, the owner said he would only be prepared to sell the land to the municipality.
The municipality first offered the owner R41 000 for the portion of land needed to secure the borehole after two valuers determined the market value of the land.
However, the owner refused, and demanded R100 000 instead, as this was the only suitable area which provided a sufficient source of water. Expropriation was not a viable alternative, because the process would take too long.
During a discussion of the report, councillors expressed concern about the sustainability of the water supply and Councillor Pierre Ranchhod questioned the life-span of the borehole.
“It would be useless to buy land with a water source that would not last for very long,” Pierre said.
According to Dabula Njilo, the Director of technical and infrastructural services, he said a study had revealed that the boreholes were sustainable.
Councillor Brian Jackson urged that water harvesting be a priority for the new houses and tanks and gutters should be included in each home.
The finance department commented on the proposed purchase of the land, saying, “If the major concern is that water should be provided to our citizens at all costs, the recommendation could be supported, but keeping in mind that the premium of R59 000 paid by Council for this land might be seen as fruitless and wasteful expenditure, as it is more than double the estimated value of the land.”
Councillor Brian Fargher and Ranchhod expressed concern about the high cost involved as it was an expensive option. Ranchhod proposed that the discussion be recorded properly so when the Auditor General asked questions, the council would have an explanation for the expenditure.
The councillors approved paying R100 000 to the owner of the land, saying they had no alternative.
