Body ‘applying for rectification’

EZEMVELO’S spokesman Musa Mntambo said: “It is true that Ezemvelo is the landowner. It is also important that I indicate to you that the building of a log cabin can be done within a short space of time. Ezemvelo is applying for rectification not because it is liable for the encroachment that happened during the building of the cabins.

“When we realised the encroachment we stopped the project and demanded that it be rectified.The implementing agent went missing and we could not allow the illegal ‘buildings’ to stand idle. A steering committee was established consisting of the Ezemvelo division responsible for EIAs and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). The steering committee recommended that Ezemvelo should apply for rectification which we have now done.”

He insisted that Dlulane’s Partnership and Projects Unit (PPU) was “never involved”.

“It only became involved when the project was complete and DEA wanted to hand it over to Ezemvelo. The PPU went to investigate the quality of the project at the request of the board. The unit was not happy with the quality as well as the encroachment. It informed DEA of its unhappiness and requested that DEA instruct the implementer to resolve the issue.”

Nevertheless, Mntambo confirmed that Dlulane was suspended from Ezemvelo after a disciplinary hearing late last year in connection with a separate issue.

Dlulane had since returned to work after “normal disciplinary processes as governed by the Labour Relations Act”.

Humphrey Sithole, listed as the managing director of the Mabhucu Construction company that built the wooden lodges, could not be reached for comment.