Land use management centres on the notion of protecting people and the
environment from the externalities of development. It is central to strategic planning
to ensure the sustainable provision of public utilities, transport infrastructure,
housing and economic infrastructure. Land use management also provides an
important legal/institutional framework to uphold property values and so safeguard
the municipal tax base and investment. In South Africa there is a complex web of
legislation (which transverses the three tiers of government) through which the
state aims to manage land, control building developments, and determine the
places and forms in which people can conduct business and operate an enterprise.
The Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), 2013, clarifies
the roles of government in land use management. SPLUMA is an important step
towards redressing the apartheid legacy of spatial injustice: the Act introduces
the four principals of spatial justice, spatial sustainability, spatial resilience, and
efficient and good administration to guide land use governance.