Pienaarspoort residents rebuild their shacks after they were vandalised by the Red Ants, in this file photo.
Image: Picture: Oupa Mokoena
The Tshwane Metro Council is once again embroiled in political controversy, with the Freedom Front Plus (FF+) strongly opposing a decision by the Department of Human Settlements to relocate more than 5 000 people to Pienaarspoort — land originally earmarked for just 575 Mamelodi flood victims.
The latest move to resettle an additional 5 200 individuals from informal settlements comes after the City already relocated 811 residents from transitional camps to the same site, allegedly without proper authorisation.
The initial relocation of the 575 flood-affected families in 2020 cost the Metro an estimated R286 million. The FF+ is now warning that the expanded plan could put unsustainable pressure on already strained resources.
The Department has claimed that the upcoming phase of the relocation will not result in further financial burdens for the Metro.
However, FF+ councillors have rejected this assertion, arguing that it fails to account for necessary infrastructure costs such as roads, sanitation, and water supply. According to the party, no funding has been earmarked for this expanded project in the 2025/26 municipal budget.
"This plan is fiscally reckless and unfair to the original beneficiaries," said a senior FF+ representative in the council. "We demand an audit to ensure only verified flood victims benefit from the funding, not thousands more who were not part of the initial plan."
The FF+ has submitted formal recommendations, including a detailed audit of the intended beneficiaries, strict adherence to the original funding mandate, and a transparent financial plan presented to the council before any further relocations occur.
The matter has now escalated into a racial and political flashpoint. The FF+, EFF, and MK Party — already deeply divided along ideological and racial lines — are clashing on public platforms.
While the FF+ accuses the ANC-led administration of mismanagement and financial opacity, the EFF and MKP have countered that the FF+ is opposing land access for the poor under the guise of budgetary concerns.