The case of the Mountain View development next to Lourier Park took another turn when the DA in the Mangaung Metro applied for leave to appeal the judgement of the Free State High Court.

DA Ward Councilor Greg van Noord said this was to defend the rule of law and ensure dignified housing, proper planning and the rights of all residents affected by the ANC-led Metro’s failure to govern responsibly.

Mangaung Mayor Gregory Nthatisi visited Lourier Park on Saturday 27 June and spoke about the development.

He said the allocation of residential Permission to Occupy (PTO) sites to 2 000 people at the new settlement would run simultaneously with the verification of deserving beneficiaries.

A PTO grants temporary occupation rights, but does not provide formal title deeds.

Addressing residents, he said the verification process aimed at addressing discrepancies, stressing: “Allocation of PTO sites will be done in accordance with the law.”

Nthatisi said the new settlement, under the campaign #Bodulomothong – translating to “a place for a person” – formed part of a continuing effort by the municipality to address the housing backlog.

He added that the municipality was forging ahead with unbundling municipally owned land for residential sites.

He said wealthy individuals who could afford housing and have properties elsewhere would not be allowed at the new settlement, emphasising: “Priority is people with disabilities, child-headed households and the aged and pensioners, as well as the poor. I’m striving to bring people closer to their place of work.”

This is not the case, as BloemNewsExpress heard of several instances where receivers of PTO’s plan to rent out their houses.

Nthatisi said the number of people in need of residential sites stood at 46 000 in Bloemfontein alone, while the figure across the seven towns of the Mangaung Metro stood at 77 000.

Van Noord said the DA noted the press statement issued by Nthatisi and his attempt to portray the DA as an obstacle to housing.

“It is dishonest and avoids the real issue: Mangaung has once again tried to mask decades of failure with a short-term political spectacle, while vulnerable residents and surrounding communities bear the consequences,” Van Noord said.

“Significantly, the executive mayor addresses housing needs and land occupation in the same breath. In its own court papers, the municipality refers to 57 informal settlements across Mangaung.

“These are communities where people were promised housing, services, and dignity; yet many still lack reliable water, sanitation, roads, stormwater infrastructure, streetlights or safe living conditions.”

Van Noord said the DA has never opposed access to adequate housing.

“On the contrary, DA-run governments have shown that dignified housing can be delivered when there is proper planning, clean administration and a serious commitment to residents.

“In Cape Town alone, over 12 000 state-subsidised homes were handed over between 2021 and 2025, while Mangaung delivered only around 600 over the same period.”

He said the DA had gone to court because residents deserve more than empty promises.

“Housing without water, sanitation, roads, electricity, stormwater systems and proper planning does not restore dignity. It deepens poverty, increases safety risks, places pressure on already failing infrastructure, damages property values, weakens local economic confidence and creates conditions where crime and exploitation can grow. This is not service delivery.

“It is maladministration dressed up as development.”