Infrastructure
Oceana, a private company, donated land in Stompneus Bay for a housing project, but the provincial government and the Saldanha Bay Municipality have yet to install a single municipal service or make visible progress:
- (a)(i) What is the exact date on which Oceana donated the land and (ii) what commitments, if any, were made by the provincial government regarding its development, (b) what actions, if any, has his Department taken to facilitate the start of this housing project since the donation;
- whether his Department has allocated any budget for the installation of services at this site; if not, why not; if so, (a) when and (b) how much;
- whether a project timeline was ever formally developed; if not, why not; if so, why has it not been implemented in the past five years;
- whether any feasibility study has ever been conducted for the project; if not, why not; if so, can a copy of the study be made available;
- whether a date is available for when the construction of the houses will commence; if not, why not?
- (a)(i) The Saldanha Bay Council approved the donation by Oceana in June 2022, and the Deed of Donation was signed on 31 July 2023.
(ii) The Department approved the Project Initiation and Project Feasibility phases for 219 sites and released an amount of R 1 367 841.00 to support the detailed planning of the Stompneusbaai development.
(b) The Department provides continuous support to the Municipality to assist with planning and to accelerate processes where possible. However, the Department is dependent on the Municipality to communicate their needs to the Department, and apart from the two applications received (as indicated in (1)(ii) above), no further updates have been provided.
- (a)(b) A Project Feasibility Report was submitted, and approval was granted in November 2024. An amount of R1 367 841.00 was released to assist with the planning. As soon as the Department receives the next application, it will structure the budget accordingly, taking into account the project’s readiness and considering all aspects of the development.
- Yes, there is a preliminary timeline, which may vary depending on the outcome of the specialist studies, such as the Environmental Impact Assessment. Currently, construction is targeted for 2027/2028, provided that there are no delays with the specialist studies, the required approvals, or the Municipality’s procurement of a contractor.
- Yes, a Project Feasibility Report was submitted, and approval was granted in November 2024 to proceed with the detailed planning of the development.
- No exact date is available at this stage, as the Department is still awaiting a Readiness Application from the Municipality for the site development. Thereafter, the Municipality must submit a Readiness Report for the housing development, which will provide a clear indication of when construction is expected to commence. Refer (3) above
