R11 billion spent on a mega city which is now in a derelict state with incomplete houses and decaying infrastructure

R11 billion was spent on the Montrose Mega Project in Randfontein, which has become a symbol of government failure with incomplete houses and decaying infrastructure.

The Montrose Mega Project was launched in 2017 by former Gauteng Premier David Makhura and former MEC for Human Settlements Paul Mashatile.

Makhura said this large-scale development was pivotal to his provincial policy of transformation, modernisation, and re-industrialisation.

The goal was to dismantle apartheid-era spatial segregation by building an integrated, high-density, mixed-income post-apartheid city.

The Montrose Mega Project, which was set to be a symbol of urban expansion and economic transformation, collapsed.

It suffered from funding shortages for developers, infrastructure deficits, and local contractor disputes. It left promised units incomplete and vandalised.

In November 2024, Emma More, a Member of the Gauteng Legislature, provided details about the problems following oversight visits.

She said there was gross mismanagement and a lack of accountability surrounding the Montrose Mega Project in Randfontein.

“Despite R11 billion of public funds being spent, this project now stands as a symbol of government failure,” she said.

“There are incomplete houses, poor project management, decaying infrastructure, and escalating criminal activity.”

There were three oversight visits by the Human Settlement Committee, which revealed the following realities.

• There was a lack of bulk infrastructure, including electricity, sanitation, and water, and most houses remained without basic utilities, making them uninhabitable.

• There was only a temporary water and sewer system, which was prone to failure, posing health risks.

• There was rampant vandalism and criminal activity, and the project site has been stripped for scrap metal by criminals.

“We cannot allow this R11 billion disaster to be swept under the rug while communities continue to suffer,” said More.

Montrose Mega Project remains a problem

On Tuesday, 21 July 2026, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng will conduct an oversight inspection at the Montrose Mega City housing project.

The inspection followed reports that the flagship R11 billion housing project has continued to deteriorate.

“It has become a derelict symbol of mismanagement and neglect by the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements (GDHS),” it said.

“This is despite repeated warnings by the DA that if housing projects are left abandoned, they will be illegally occupied and damaged by those with criminal intent.”

The latest oversight visit followed numerous problems at the Montrose Mega City housing project over the last two years.

In May 2025, a child lost their life after falling into an unsecured septic tank at the mega city project.

A few days later, a man was killed when part of the crumbling structure collapsed, burying him beneath the rubble.

“These incidents are the result of a failed and abandoned project riddled with incomplete units, unsafe structures, and rampant criminal activity,” More said.

She added that the Gauteng Provincial Government has taken no meaningful action to address the escalating humanitarian and infrastructural disaster at the site.

Instead of creating a new, vibrant neighbourhood in the West Rand, as promised by Makhura, the area has become a nightmare for residents.

Left uncompleted and unmonitored, the site became a community hazard with criminal activity and widespread vandalism.

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Montrose Mega Project plans

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Montrose Mega Project construction

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