The collapse of the Montrose Mega Project has triggered a wave of public outrage, with ActionSA sharply criticizing the Gauteng Provincial Government for what it describes as “shameful neglect and mismanagement” of one of the province’s most ambitious housing developments.
Initially announced as a transformative R11 billion initiative to deliver over 5,600 housing units, the Montrose Mega Project has been abandoned since November 2023. The once-promising construction site has since decayed into a hazardous wasteland of incomplete buildings, open septic tanks, and rampant vandalism.
Tensions escalated dramatically on May 5, 2025, when a man was allegedly killed after a partially built structure collapsed on him. The tragedy followed a separate, heartbreaking incident in which a child reportedly fell into an unsecured septic tank on the premises—laying bare the dangers now posed by the derelict site.
“Montrose is no longer a symbol of development; it is a monument to failed governance,” said ActionSA in a searing statement. “Lives are being lost because of negligence, while billions in public funds remain unaccounted for.”
Despite multiple oversight visits in 2024 by ActionSA, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), and the Human Settlements Committee, the Gauteng government has failed to implement any substantial corrective action or provide clarity on the fate of the project.
ActionSA is now demanding an urgent infrastructure recovery plan, immediate deployment of security personnel to safeguard the site, and a full forensic investigation into the use and possible misuse of project funds.
“The continued silence and inaction from the ANC-led provincial government is indefensible,” said the party. “It’s time to hold those responsible to account.”
As the fallout grows, Montrose has become a flashpoint for broader concerns about transparency, accountability, and the dire state of public housing delivery in Gauteng.
