Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson has authorised legal proceedings, including a costs order, against three former MK Party members of parliament who remain in government-owned residences despite losing their seats. France Bongani Mfiki, Garatwe Agnes Mogotsi, and Nomado Grace Mgwebi were stripped of their parliamentary positions in August 2024 and had their party membership terminated, yet they have not vacated heavily subsidised homes in Cape Town's parliamentary villages.
The parliamentary village accommodation, intended exclusively for serving MPs, is offered at minimal monthly rental of just several hundred rand and includes basic furnishings, water, and electricity. According to Macpherson, the state attorney had directed the trio to leave the properties by last Friday. Their failure to meet this deadline has prompted the department to seek a formal court-ordered eviction.
Macpherson emphasised that no individual is exempt from the law regarding the unlawful occupation of state-owned 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 stated. He revealed that his department had spent months seeking an amicable resolution, but persistent delays left court action as the sole remaining option.
The minister highlighted additional eviction matters his department has launched since his appointment, noting that the same standards now extend to former parliamentarians living in residences reserved for current MPs and officeholders. The initiative forms part of a broader effort to reclaim control over government property, which Macpherson said had suffered from years of "indecisive management" that enabled illegal occupation and damage to public assets.
"We work tirelessly to restore accountability, to ensure public property serves the public - not private interests," he declared. Macpherson was adamant that his department should not become entangled in internal party conflicts. "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."
While the department remains open to mediation for an orderly relocation process, Macpherson insisted that accountability must be re-established wherever state property is being unlawfully occupied.
