The land near Lourier Park, which occupiers renamed Mountain View, became a flashpoint in 2024 amid the Free State’s deepening housing crisis. Thousands of land seekers moved onto the site, prompting legal action and a court-ordered eviction.

In February, the High Court ordered Mangaung to stop preparing the land and moving more people there after the DA filed an urgent application alleging the municipality had acted unlawfully.

Despite the legal challenge, the metro maintained that its actions were aimed at addressing the severe housing backlog affecting thousands of residents across the municipality.

'Programme seeks to provide land and restore dignity'

“The DA approached the courts in an attempt to halt a programme that seeks to provide land and restore dignity to our people,” said Human Settlements MMC Ntombi Nhlapho on her Facebook page.

“As Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, we remain confident in our case and committed to ensuring that the interests of our communities are protected.”

The metro respected the judicial process and remained steadfast in its pursuit of land justice, security of tenure and dignified human settlements for the people of Mangaung, she added.

At least 77,000 residents in need of housing

The housing crisis remains acute in the struggling metro, where at least 77,000 residents are in need of proper housing. This includes approximately 5,000 people in Bloemfontein, 13,000 in Botshabelo and 12,000 in Thaba Nchu, with the remainder spread across outlying areas such as Dewetsdorp.

Mangaung criticised the DA’s court action, saying it undermined the municipality’s constitutional mandate to provide access to land and housing. Municipal leaders repeatedly stated that the development near Lourier Park was intended to address the urgent needs of residents seeking land.

However, the proposed development near Lourier Park, Pellissier and surrounding suburbs generated significant concern among residents, many of whom feared declining property values and increasing pressure on municipal services.

'Brand-new Mercedeses, BMWs parked there, what is going on?'

Local resident Marius Bezuidenhout said some individuals occupying the land appeared not to be in genuine need of housing. “There are so many informal settlements around Bloemfontein, why do they want to start another one?

“I’ve driven past there several times, and you see the cars parked there. It’s brand-new Mercedeses, BMWs parked there, so you ask yourself what is going on there.”

Residents also believed allowing further development without adequate planning could negatively affect property values and place additional strain on already stretched infrastructure and services. Business owner and resident Andrew Tutor raised concerns about the potential for increased crime and the lack of infrastructure at the site.

Questions were also raised about Mangaung’s ability to fund and develop the proposed neighbourhood, given the municipality’s widely reported financial difficulties.

The controversy dates back to the period before the 2024 national elections when thousands of people occupied the land near Lourier Park. The occupation intensified the debate around land access and housing in the Free State.

Land invaders removed by Red Ants

The DA secured a successful urgent application in the high court, compelling the municipality to remove what it described as illegal land invaders with the assistance of the Red Ants.

Defending the municipality’s position, Mayor Gregory Nthatisi previously argued that the Lourier Park project formed part of a broader township development initiative. Mangaung’s land allocation programme would help create more sustainable urban settlements and improve living conditions for residents.

The first phase was already under way in Lourier Park, with a second phase planned for Botshabelo before the programme was due to be expanded to Dewetsdorp.

“We want to ensure that proper urban areas are created,” said Nthatisi. “Although funding for infrastructure is limited, we can use temporary measures to move people from unhealthy living conditions to places where they can at least have a better quality of life.”

The metro’s intention was to allocate land where residents would not face eviction while development took place. The municipality had, however, warned that only registered residents would qualify for land allocations and that unlawful land occupation could result in legal action.

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi cvdw

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