Ithemba Town Planning Services

21/09/2026

That strip of grass, paving or open land between your property boundary and the road may look like an extension of your property.

But there is an important distinction:

Your property boundary is not necessarily the edge of the road.

In eThekwini, the verge forms part of the public road for purposes of the Nuisances and Behaviour in Public Places By-law. The Municipality's definition of a public road specifically includes the verge.

So before you build on, pave, fence off or otherwise alter that area, you need to understand what the applicable legislation, land use scheme and municipal requirements allow.

🌿 WHAT CAN YOU DO ON THE VERGE?

A verge is not necessarily required to remain untouched.

Depending on the circumstances, there may be legitimate uses such as:

• Landscaping and maintaining the verge
• Providing pedestrian access
• Providing an approved driveway access to your property
• Certain forms of verge hardening or paving, subject to municipal requirements
• Other activities that have been specifically authorised by the Municipality

But using the verge does not automatically make it private property.

For example, eThekwini's land-use documentation contains requirements relating to driveways, verge hardening and access arrangements. The design of a driveway can also be affected by gradients, sidewalks, road levels and pedestrian movement.

🚧 WHAT SHOULD YOU NOT DO WITHOUT CHECKING FIRST?

Problems can arise when property owners:

❌ Build rooms, structures or extensions over the verge
❌ Enclose the verge as though it forms part of the erf
❌ Construct walls or fences without checking the applicable requirements
❌ Permanently obstruct pedestrian movement
❌ Alter the verge in a way that interferes with stormwater drainage
❌ Install infrastructure or excavate without the required municipal authorisation
❌ Create parking or access arrangements that interfere with the road reserve
❌ Assume that because something has existed for years, it is automatically authorised

The Municipality's Wayleaves and Excavations framework treats the public road reserve as including the verge and roadway, and regulates works and infrastructure within that reserve.

🏗️ AND WHAT ABOUT BUILDING ON THE VERGE?

This is where things can become particularly risky.

The building line applicable to your erf is not simply permission to build wherever you want between your house and the road.

The eThekwini Land Use Scheme defines a building line by reference to a street, public right of way or road reserve. In certain circumstances, road widening or road servitudes can also affect where building-line measurements are taken.

A structure that appears to be "just a few metres in front of the house" could therefore be sitting:

outside the erf → within the road reserve → on municipal land.

That creates a completely different planning and legal question.

⚠️ WHY CAN BUILDING ON THE VERGE BE DANGEROUS?

It isn't only about whether the Municipality will object.

A road reserve may be needed for:

🚗 Road widening
🚶 Pedestrian movement
💧 Stormwater infrastructure
💡 Municipal services
🚰 Water and sewer infrastructure
⚡ Electricity and other services
🚌 Transport infrastructure
🚒 Emergency access
🛠️ Future municipal works

And if municipal infrastructure needs to be accessed, your private structure may be standing in the way.

There can also be consequences for the property owner if an unauthorised structure obstructs a public road, creates a nuisance, interferes with access or conflicts with municipal requirements.

📍 THE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS NOT:

"But everyone in my street has done it."

The important question is:

"What is the legal status of this piece of land, and what does the applicable scheme and municipal legislation permit me to do there?"

The answer can depend on the property's cadastral boundary, the road reserve, the applicable Land Use Scheme, building lines, road classification, servitudes, municipal infrastructure and the particular proposal.

And remember:

A previous owner's use of a verge does not automatically mean that the use is authorised for you.

🏡 BEFORE YOU BUILD, PAVE OR ENCLOSE THAT VERGE...

Check first.

A small mistake on the verge can become a much bigger problem when you later want to:

• Sell the property
• Submit building plans
• Apply for a relaxation
• Apply for a new land use
• Upgrade your driveway
• Develop the property
• Deal with municipal infrastructure
• Resolve an enforcement issue

Know your boundary. Know the road reserve. Know the rules.

📩 Ithemba Town Planning Services (ITPS)
Planning with Vision

We assist property owners, developers and investors with understanding land-use requirements and navigating the development of land and property.

18/09/2026

18/09/2026

18/09/2026

🏡 Buying a property that is already operating as short-term accommodation? ⚠️

One thing property buyers often overlook is that the previous owner’s approval to operate short-term accommodation does not automatically become your approval when you purchase the property.

Even if the previous owner:

✅ Applied for Special Consent
✅ Changed the zoning
✅ Obtained approval to operate a B&B or other short-term accommodation

you, as the new owner, must still go to the Municipality and establish whether you can continue operating that use under your ownership. 📋🏠

The property may have the appropriate zoning, but that does not mean you should simply assume that the previous owner's approval or consent is transferable to you.

⚠️ Buying the property and buying the previous owner's land-use approval are not necessarily the same thing.

So before you purchase a property because it is already operating as a B&B, guest house or short-term accommodation:

🔎 Check the zoning.
🔎 Check the approved land use.
🔎 Check the previous owner's approval and its conditions.
🔎 Confirm with the Municipality what is required for you as the new owner to continue the use.

💡 Don't wait until after you've bought the property to discover that you need a new application or municipal approval.

📞 Call Ithemba Town Planning Services if you would like us to assist you with your short-term accommodation application to the Municipality.

Do your land-use due diligence BEFORE you buy. 🏡📑

14/09/2026

Yes — this version should feel more like your actual voice: direct, reflective, and professional, without sounding like a corporate statement.

THREE YEARS LATER: WHAT INDEPENDENT CONSULTING HAS TAUGHT ME

Three years into my journey as an independent town planning consultant, one of the biggest lessons I have learned is that being a Black woman in the built environment still comes with having to prove your competence in ways that others may not have to. 🏗🏾

Our history matters. Black women were historically excluded from many professional and decision-making spaces within the built environment, and although access has changed, some of the attitudes have not disappeared.

One of the major challenges I have experienced is pushback, undermining and the constant questioning of professional expertise. Sometimes, once your name appears on an application or you become the person responsible for the work, the level of criticism and scrutiny changes. There can be a subtle form of microaggression that has very little to do with the quality of the work and everything to do with who is delivering it.

I saw this in the public sector too. You could have years of experience and professional knowledge, yet once an application was allocated to you, there could suddenly be a different attitude towards the work. As an independent consultant, I have experienced a similar dynamic from the other side.

Then there is compensation. There are times when you have to defend your fees for professional services that would probably not be questioned in the same way if the person providing them were from another racial group or were a man. You can have 10, 15 or 20 years of experience and still find yourself having to prove that you are competent enough to be taken seriously.

And that is one of the realities we need to acknowledge. Sometimes competence is not enough to overcome perception.

But I have also learned that there are opportunities. There are people who recognise expertise, clients who value professional advice and markets that can be approached differently. The key is understanding the environment you are operating in, knowing your value and finding your own way to navigate and build within it. 💼

We can talk about these experiences and still be accused of complaining. But when you are the person actually sitting in the room, doing the work and experiencing those attitudes, you know the difference between legitimate professional scrutiny and constantly being underestimated.

And unfortunately, these are some of the realities we will have to teach our daughters. We can tell them to work hard, become qualified and know their worth, but we also have to prepare them for a world where their competence may still be questioned because they are women, and particularly because they are Black women. 👩🏾‍💼

Three years later, I have learned that building independently is not only about knowing your profession. It is also about knowing the market, understanding people, knowing your value and learning how to manoeuvre in an environment that does not always recognise you immediately.

08/09/2026

🏗️🌱 Thinking of buying land? 🏡💰 Don’t buy it blindly.

Before committing your money, understand the development potential of the property and what may be possible on the site.

📍 Land Development Potential Assessments
📄 Professional Town Planning Services
🏗️ Make informed land investment decisions.

📞 065 009 6477
📧 [email protected]

Ithemba Town Planning Services | Planning with Vision

02/09/2026

💯 home (family/self)