
Zeekoehoek development plan seeks public feedback
Mogale City, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development, is developing a Precinct Plan for the Zeekoehoek area.
As identified in the city's Spatial Development Framework, Zeekoehoek was earmarked as an area requiring a precinct plan.
According to MCLM communications officer Refilwe Mahlangu, precincts are not necessarily formal administrative zones but rather smaller geographic areas with distinct characteristics that necessitate detailed planning and strategic interventions to guide future development.
'The Zeekoehoek Precinct Plan area is in the western reaches of the city, south of the R560. The R24 runs through its far western boundary, while the R563 forms the eastern edge.
The precinct includes portions of the following farms: Zeekoehoek 509, Waterval West 510, Impala 563, and Doornbosch 508,' Mahlangu said.
The municipality invites members of the public to submit their comments on the draft Zeekoehoek Precinct Plan, which will play a crucial role in shaping the future development of the area. The draft can be found on Mogale City's official website. The closing date for comments is August 22.
For enquiries and further information, please send an email to Glaudi.turner@mogalecity.gov.za or Caliphornia.mahada@mogalecity.gov.za.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
‘Lifting Brazil chicken ban only hurts local producers,' says Sapa
The ban on imports from Brazil could have presented an opportunity to boost local production of chicken meat and offal, rather than relying on imports. The South African Poultry Association (Sapa) is not impressed with the Department of Agriculture's decision to partially lift the ban on chicken from Brazil, as the association believes this move could have consequences on local producers. A blanket ban was imposed on poultry imports from Brazil after one state in the country reported an outbreak of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu. Brazil supplies more than 84% of South Africa's poultry imports. Many feared the blanket ban would result in a chicken shortage and an increase in chicken prices. However, Sapa stood firm with the belief that SA local producers should view this as an opportunity to learn how to stand on their own and produce enough chicken to fill the gap, as they are more than capable of doing so. ALSO READ: Bird flu: worry not, it is safe to eat eggs and chicken Produce chicken locally As of Thursday, 19 June 2025, certain Brazilian states that do not have cases of bird flu can import chicken to South Africa. Sapa says the move by the department comes as a surprise. Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of Sapa's Broiler Organisation, told The Citizen the ban on imports from Brazil could have been seen as an opportunity for more local production of chicken meat and offal instead of importing them. 'It would have created jobs and assisted in keeping chicken prices down in the long run. This move will thus support imports at the expense of local production.' Hush decision to allow chicken from Brazil When asked if the association is worried the move might put the country in danger, Breitenbach said, 'Yes, it is a bit of a hush decision.' 'We hope that the compartmentalisation actions are implemented with the necessary care.' The department stated that the decision to partially lift the import ban on poultry was made after it received a second report from Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, which detailed how Brazil had contained the outbreak to one state. 'This partial lift may be withdrawn should the outbreak be found to have extended to other states within Brazil.' ALSO READ: Egg prices increasing globally due to US shortage — Should SA take advantage and export? 'Not out of the woods yet' Arnold Prinsloo, CEO of Eskort, told The Citizen that they welcome the speedy response from the government, but 'we are by no means out of the woods yet'. Eskort makes use of the mechanically deboned meat (MDM) from Brazil to make polony, viennas, russians and braaiwors. He previously stated that the blanket ban on Brazilian imports would put production lines to a standstill before the end of June. 'Although the Department of Agriculture has agreed to a partial lifting of the suspension, the process is as follows: Brazil has to send a certificate to the government, and together they need to agree on the legalities and wording,' added Prinsloo. 'Once that certificate is in place, we can only then place orders to Brazil. Production has been halted in Brazil, resulting in a two-week lead time for production. 'Those orders will take six weeks to get here, and then one to two weeks to clear customs. Thus, there will still be an impact on consumers, businesses and food security at large.' Ease pressure on the food basket Imameleng Mothebe, CEO of the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE), welcomed the news, saying they hope it will ease pressure on the food basket. 'South Africans have already seen poultry prices surge in recent weeks, we hope this decision will help ease pressure on the food basket, especially as MDM and affordable chicken cuts are vital to lower-income households and the processed meat sector.' The association has urged the Department to accelerate the reopening of other key poultry import markets, including France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark, which remain closed to South Africa despite their successful containment of earlier avian flu outbreaks, as declared to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). NOW READ: Here are the economic and social impacts of bird flu

IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
How resuming poultry imports from Brazil can secure South Africa's food future
South Africa partially lifted the ban on poultry imports from Brazil after containing bird flu. Image: File Meat importers and processors have welcomed the government's decision to partially lift the ban on poultry imports from Brazil, saying it will help stabilise local food production and avoid shortages of affordable protein products. The Department of Agriculture confirmed that as of Thursday, June 20, 2025, imports of poultry and poultry products from Brazil will resume, excluding the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where a bird flu outbreak was reported in May. The South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA) said the move would help avert major disruptions in the manufacture of staple products such as polony, viennas, and braai wors, which depend on Mechanically Deboned Meat (MDM) sourced almost entirely from Brazil. 'We are grateful for the urgency displayed by the Department of Agriculture and especially Minister John Steenhuisen, Deputy Director-General Dipeneneng Serage, and his team in averting the full-scale social and humanitarian crisis which the ban imposed on 16 May threatened to unleash,' said SAMPA chairperson Gordon Nicoll. 'While it will take some time for imports of MDM to reach our shores, the situation could have been a lot worse. We hope that this crisis will provide the blueprint for South African authorities should the remaining two poultry-producing regions of Brazil report HPAI outbreaks, so we can avoid any other breaks in supply in the future.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ South Africa does not produce MDM in any meaningful quantity. For the past 12 years, Brazil has supplied about 95% of MDM used in South African meat processing, making it an essential component in affordable processed products like russians, frozen burgers, bangers, meat pies, and corned meat. The Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (AMIE) also welcomed the department's decision, calling it a necessary, science-based step to protect industry and consumers. 'We commend the government for acting swiftly and pragmatically in response to Brazil's evolving avian influenza situation,' said AMIE CEO Imameleng Mothebe. 'This regionalised approach, aligned with international best practices, is a positive step toward stabilising the poultry market and safeguarding food security for South African consumers.' According to the department, the decision to partially lift the ban followed a second official report from Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock confirming that the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak had been successfully contained to a single province. 'The veterinary services of the department engaged with their Brazilian counterparts to determine the extent of the outbreak, steps taken to contain the outbreak, and whether there are any other outbreaks on other farms or in any other state,' said Minister Steenhuisen. 'Information received from the Brazilian authorities demonstrated that poultry products produced outside of the 10km radius from the outbreak are not affected and pose no health risk.' Steenhuisen added: 'We are glad that, a month after the outbreak was reported in Brazil, we have been able to assess and confirm that risks associated with the importation of poultry and poultry products from Brazil are insignificant. We are closely monitoring the situation.' While the suspension remains in place for poultry sourced from Rio Grande do Sul, the department confirmed that all other Brazilian states may resume exports to South Africa from Thursday. The government cautioned that the decision may be reversed if the virus spreads to other regions. AMIE said it would continue pushing for the formal conclusion of a new health certificate agreement between the two countries, which would allow future import bans to apply only to affected areas rather than the entire country. 'AMIE is urging government to finalise the health certificate agreement with Brazil that provides for a regionalised approach to future disease outbreaks,' said Mothebe. 'This agreement is crucial to ensure that future trade disruptions are limited only to affected regions, rather than resulting in blanket national bans.' The association said the May suspension had already triggered noticeable price increases for poultry products in recent weeks, disproportionately affecting lower-income households that rely on affordable chicken cuts and processed meats. 'South Africans have already seen poultry prices surge in recent weeks,' said Mothebe. 'We hope this decision will help ease pressure on the food basket, especially as MDM and affordable chicken cuts are vital to lower-income households and the processed meat sector.' AMIE also urged the department to consider reopening other poultry import markets, including France, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands, which remain closed despite declaring successful containment of previous HPAI outbreaks to the World Organisation for Animal Health. 'A diversified supply base is essential to building resilience in South Africa's food system,' said Mothebe. 'The reopening of safe and previously approved markets must be prioritised to avoid future disruptions and ensure ongoing supply and competition, which keeps prices in check.' The department said it will continue to monitor the situation in Brazil and assess any new health risks that may arise.


The South African
3 days ago
- The South African
SA partially lifts Brazil poultry ban amid meat shortage fears
The Department of Agriculture has announced a partial lifting of the ban on poultry imports from Brazil, in a move expected to ease mounting pressure on South Africa's food security. The ban imposed in mid-May following an avian flu outbreak in Brazil's Rio Grande do Sul region, had threatened to disrupt the supply of low-cost processed meats and trigger further increases in meat prices. Mechanically deboned meat (MDM), which South Africa relies on Brazil to supply, was one of the hardest-hit products. Affordable processed meats such as polony, viennas, russians and braaiwors rely on MDM as a key ingredient. South Africa typically imports around 19 000 tonnes of MDM from Brazil each month. Following the ban, local producers warned of serious consequences. According to BusinessTech , industry leaders, including Eskort and the South African Meat Processors Association (SAMPA), said the suspension threatened to remove budget meat options from the market, particularly affecting low-income households. Authorities recently detected foot-and-mouth disease at the country's largest beef feedlot, while poultry producer DayBreak Foods collapsed. Together, these developments have caused disruption to meat supply chains, with Stats SA's latest inflation data showing upward pressure on meat prices. Industry groups warned that even a short disruption in MDM imports would force processors to halt operations and risk significant job losses. Eskort stated that a supply gap of four to six weeks would leave many facilities idle for more than two months, adding to economic and social instability. In response to industry pleas, the Department of Agriculture has agreed to partially lift the ban, effective from 19 June. Imports from Brazilian states not affected by the avian flu outbreak in Rio Grande do Sul will now be allowed. Meat processors welcomed the decision. SAMPA said the move would avert major shortages of affordable protein and help secure jobs in the sector. 'This decision could not have come at a more critical time. South Africa has been losing over 100 million meals per week due to the ban,' industry representatives said. Eskort noted that processors will take time to recover and that the disruption will have knock-on effects along the supply chain. 'This is not only a supply chain crisis, but also a pending socio-economic and political disaster,' the group said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.