The Hoedspruit Concerned Rate Payers Association (HCRPA) was formally registered with the CIPC on 4 June 2024 to give ratepayers in Hoedspruit a united voice. And barely a year later, that voice is being tested on multiple fronts – from illegal land occupation to sewage spills, flawed development plans, and failing public transport.
Illegal Land Occupation and the Plastic View Crisis
The HCRPA has been pressing the Maruleng Local Municipality to enforce both national legislation and municipal by-laws regarding the illegal occupation of land within Hoedspruit – specifically the dire, inhumane conditions in the area known as “Plastic View.”
Summons was issued to five respondents, including the municipality. Only the Maruleng Local Municipality bothered to file an answering affidavit. After months of drawn-out legal wrangling, an interim court order was handed down by the Limpopo High Court on 11 March 2025. The municipality has since filed what the Association deems a “flawed and inadequate report” on the current occupants of Plastic View.
Despite repeated efforts, the HCRPA has received no meaningful update on how the municipality intends to resolve this long-standing humanitarian and legal mess. Urgent legal action is now back on the table.
Portion 39 – Déjà Vu in Berlin
The HCRPA has also been active in challenging the proposed development of Portion 39 of the Berlin Farm – the controversial plan to push through 400 – 600 residential units on land that’s already failed two Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). Legal representatives for the Association successfully halted a previous EIA, which was withdrawn by consultants in October 2024.
But the proposal is back – again. A new EIA process kicked off on 1 July 2025, and the Association has already registered as an interested and affected party. Legal counsel will continue to respond throughout the process to ensure that development isn’t forced through without due diligence, infrastructure improvement, or public backing.
Sewage, Water & Accountability
Few issues have had a more damaging impact than the ongoing sewage spills that plagued Southern Cross Schools and Raptors View Wildlife Estate for 18 months. The HCRPA didn’t just complain – they acted.
Working alongside the Department of Water Affairs and Sanitation (DWS) enforcement division in Nelspruit and the Deputy Minister himself, the HCRPA forced the Mopani District Municipality to repair the failed wastewater transfer station on Leguaan Street.
Even more significantly, a criminal case has been opened against four Mopani officials, with two further cases now joined by DWS and prosecutions are expected to move forward in the coming months.
Looking ahead, the HCRPA is preparing a proposal for a public-private partnership solution to the broader water and sanitation infrastructure issues across Maruleng. This was presented to the national Deputy Director General of Water Affairs and Sanitation at a meeting in Hoedspruit on 24 July 2025.
Great North Transport – No Longer ‘Great’
Transport is another major concern. The declining safety and reliability of Great North Transport – a state-owned company under the Limpopo Provincial Government – has become impossible to ignore. The HCRPA plans to engage with the company and other key players in the coming months to understand the root of the dysfunction and explore realistic solutions.
What’s Next?
Future focus areas will be driven by the needs of the Association’s growing membership – ratepayers who are no longer willing to sit back while governance fails around them, standing up and being counted.
Get Involved. Speak Up. Contribute.
The HCRPA has, through its actions, clearly stated that if you care about Hoedspruit’s future – from fair development to functioning sanitation, legal land use, and safe transport – get involved. Join the HCRPA, add your voice, and if possible, help contribute financially to help fund legal and advocacy efforts, to ensure that we can act effectively on behalf of all rate payers in our town.
For more information contact the association on email at hoedspruitcrpa@gmail.com.
The HCRPA is a registered NPC. All financial contributions go directly into the NPC’s dedicated bank account.
