Residents demand government return sold land

THE Sunridge Action Group and Greater Table View Action Forum in Table View are demanding answers from mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Premier Alan Winde on how the Flandorp Family Trust acquired a piece of land in the area which has been approved for densification.

The land in question currently has a development application where the First Plan Town Planners on behalf of Flandorp Family Property proposed a gated development consisting of nine duplex houses, 337 apartment units, and a clubhouse next to the school land.

The groups allege that there was collusion between the provincial government and the City in disposing of the piece of land to the Flandorp Family Trust.

The Flandorp’s property, according to GTAF biodiversity head David Ayres, measures some 2.938 hectares, a consolidated erf made up of two separate pieces of land acquired by the trust (via two separate processes), which measured about 2.4 hectares, acquired by the trust for the national government out of land restitution. The rest of the land is about 0.5h extent and acquired by the trust from the provincial government in 2019.

The property is now held by the trust under the consolidated erf 38599 (38251 and 38598), a portion of the remainder erf 9556, which is an educational site.

Ayres said the City in the Blaauwberg District Plan earmarked Erf 38251 for residential use years before the first land use application was received.

He said the City accepted a land use application on the Erf while still in public ownership, failed to highlight the need for a road and services and placed the incorrect mail address on the decision letter.

The Sunridge Action Group said the land should be returned to the original school site and the development constrained to the original 2.4ha or a true market price be established for the 0.5ha as development land.

City’s spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said the application for Erf 38599 Sunridge, served before the Municipal Planning Tribunal on July 5, was in the appeals phase and the City could not comment on the merits.

Department of Transport and Public Works spokesperson Jandré Bakker said the disposal was done in terms of the regulations promulgated in terms of the Western Cape Land Administration Act 6 of 1998.