Oudtshoorn, 11 May 2021 – The Oudtshoorn Municipal Council resolved to commercialise the municipal vacant land in Bongolethu which housed a tourist attraction called, Xhosa Village, for either a commercial complex, new housing units development or a government precinct.
The commercialisation of this land will in future benefit the Greater Oudtshoorn if any of the proposed developments do take place,” said the executive mayor of the Greater Oudtshoorn, Chris Macpherson. “Not only will there be new homes or new development, but new job opportunities will created for the community, and an economic boost for the adjacent location.”
This decision was taken during a Special Council meeting on 29 April 2021 following number of developmental items tabled by the Strategic Services Department before Council. Council also rescinded its previous decision to utilise this erven for a tourism activity. Xhosa Village which brought vast tourism attention to Bongolethu Township was over the recent years neglected, vandalised and eventually burnt down in 2020.
“The formerly, Xhosa Village property will not be alienated, but be commercialised. This asset will remain the ownership of the Municipality and the people of the Greater Oudtshoorn. Part of the process will be seek inputs from the community that will be advertised soon. And we want to encourage our community to participate in this process.”
“We want to realign our approach and create clusters of cultural villages; looking at the cultural villages holistically instead of fragment approach. The Council is identifying land within the Greater Oudtshoorn to house cultural entities such as Xhosa Village together with cultural activities such as Khoisan village. This is basically seeks to enhance the value of the property, formerly known as the Xhosa Village.
The Council, subsequently decided to demolish the building. The premise, which is valued at R 950 000, is see by Council as a land with lots of development potential. Conditions attached to the development proposal for the vacant land are as follows:
- Development of a commercial complex, housing units development or government precinct
- A bid for sale of the land be considered
- BBBEE composition of the developer
- Outline of the construction phases with timelines
- Outline of jobs to be created by the development permanent and temporary jobs
- Social contribution to the adjacent community
A public participation process especially for the community adjacent to the land will ensue to get the citizens views on the Council’s proposal. The Strategic Services in in a process of drafting the proposal which will be advertised on the Municipal website and local newspapers inviting potential developers the use of this land.
Meanwhile, the Technical Services Department will provide a detail description regarding the availability or capacity of bulk infrastructure, the connections to, and /or alternative methods.