(Foto: City of Cape Town Map Viewer)
Dean Macpherson, the Minister for Public Works and Infrastructure, has authorized formal court action, including a costs order, against three former MK Party (MKP) MPs.
Maroela Media previously reported that France Bongani Mfiki, Garatwe Agnes Mogotsi and Nomado Grace Mgwebi were removed from parliament in August 2024 and also stripped of their party membership, but they still occupy houses in the parliamentary villages in Cape Town.
Parliamentary villages offer heavily subsidized housing to MPs, with rent reportedly only a few hundred rand per month and including basic furniture, as well as water and power.
According to Macpherson, the three former MPs were told by the state attorney to vacate the properties by last Friday. Having failed to do so, the department will now institute formal eviction proceedings in court.
Macpherson says no one is above the law when it comes to the illegal occupation of government assets.
“As a country that respects the rule of law, we can never allow certain individuals to place themselves above the law and unlawfully occupy state assets meant for the public.”
He added that the department has been trying to resolve the situation for months, but that after several delays there is no other way out than court action.
Macpherson also referred to other eviction cases brought since he took office and stressed that the same principle was now being applied to former MPs occupying properties intended for current MPs and office bearers.
The case forms part of a broader effort to tighten control over state assets. According to Macpherson, “indecisive management” has contributed to public property being illegally occupied and damaged over the years. “We work tirelessly to restore accountability, to ensure public property serves the public – not private interests.”
According to him, the department cannot be drawn into a political dispute.
“The department cannot and should not be involved in a lawsuit between a political party and individuals whose membership has been terminated. Our responsibility is to the South African public and the protection of state assets for their benefit.”
He said the department remains open to mediation to ensure a peaceful relocation, but that accountability must be restored where government assets are unlawfully occupied.