Zululand Islamic Society accuses KwaDukuza Municipality of unjust delays in Ballito mosque site approval
The Gatesville Mosque in Cape Town. The Zululand Islamic Society has accused the KwaDukuza Municipality of nearly a decade-long delay in approving the Ballito mosque.
Image: File: Henk Kruger / Independent Newspapers
The Zululand Islamic Society (ZIS) has accused the KwaDukuza Municipality of dragging out the Ballito Mosque approval for nearly a decade, calling the delays “deeply troubling,” “unexplained,” and a direct violation of constitutional rights.
In a statement , ZIS said the municipality has delayed the matter for almost eight years, failed to communicate, and “shifted goalposts without reason or transparency.”
The organisation, which oversees 52 mosque sites across northern KwaZulu-Natal, said it could no longer remain silent about what it describes as an unjustified reversal of a process that was already completed.
According to the Society, the matter began in 2017 when Muslims in Ballito requested help because they were forced “to travel long distances to Tongaat, Shakaskraal and Stanger for daily prayers, an immense inconvenience and a barrier to the elderly, the youth, and those unable to travel regularly.”
The ZIS then approached the KwaDukuza Municipality under the leadership of mayor Ricardo Mthembu and deputy mayor Thulani Ntuli and a portion of Townsend Park measuring 4,000m² was identified and valued at R3.8 million for a mosque.
In February 2019, the sale was “approved by all political parties except the Democratic Alliance, subject to a public participation process.”
It added that the process concluded in November 2022 with overwhelming support: 483 submissions in favour and 106 against.
ZIS added that both National and Provincial Treasury were engaged and all legal requirements were met regarding the site.
But despite this, the Society said the municipality went silent for years. When the matter resurfaced in 2025, ZIS says councillors were instructed to restart the entire process from scratch.
“Council resolved to restart the entire process, without explanation and despite there being no identified flaws or challenges,” the ZIS said.
The Society said the delays amount to an attack on basic rights. “All the Muslim community seeks is a place to worship, a fundamental human right.” Instead, what began as “a gesture of unity and inclusion has now become overshadowed by political interference and unexplained administrative obstacles.”
“The community cannot wait another year, let alone another decade for their rights to be fulfilled,” ZIS concluded.
The issue was also recently raised by the ANC Youth League in KwaDukuza which accused the municipality of “deliberately delaying” the sale of land for a mosque in Ballito, an act it described as “a violation of religious freedom.”
The municipality had not responded to a request for comment by deadline. However in an earlier statement in response to the ANCYL, the municipality said a new process had been initiated earlier this year, following legal and procedural guidance from National Treasury and the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
It added that the Council had already approved another Muslim prayer facility in Ballito in May 2024, proving its “commitment to religious inclusivity.”