The FF Plus welcomes the withdrawal of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from the development of a “smart and industrial city” in the arid Limpopo basin seeing as it threatens water security in the area.
The planned Musina/Makhado Special Economic Zone (MMSEZ) in the Vhembe District (Louis Trichardt, Musina) of Limpopo poses a serious threat to agriculture, water security, tourism, the natural environment, and fossil and cultural heritage.
According to a Network24 report, the UNDP headquarters instructed a delegation to thoroughly investigate a complaint about the purpose of the cooperative agreement.
Environmental organisations and all affected parties can breathe a sigh of relief after the decision, seeing as the pollution and destruction of natural and scarce water resources are unacceptable.
The Vhembe District Municipality (Louis Trichardt, Musina) has been plagued by an ongoing water crisis for years under ANC rule. So, the project was doomed to fail right from the start.
The FF Plus demanded a year ago (February 2023) that the national and the provincial government of Limpopo should immediately put an end to the project, and consult with the respective interest groups and residents.
The party was convinced that the environmental impact study which gave the green light for the development was full of shortcomings and failed to take the damage it would cause to the environment and the people into account.
In March last year, the FF Plus lodged a complaint about the water crisis with the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The party also lodged a criminal complaint against the Executive Mayor of Vhembe, Mr Dowelani Nenguda, and the acting Municipal Manager, Mr NC Tshikovha.
In addition to that, Vhembe failed to meet a deadline set by the HRC in January for addressing the ongoing water shortages. And the HRC has since confirmed that it will proceed with legal action.
The FF Plus is not opposed to economic development as such, but a balance must be struck by weighing it up against the damage it will cause to the natural environment and the current climate crisis.
