Residents of Imeson Road in Morningside continue to object over the construction of a mosque.
Image: Leon Lestrade
eThekwini Municipality's Town Planning Appeals Committee will conduct an inspection in loco of a Morningside property which residents have objected to the construction of a mosque.
Residents of Imeson and surroundings roads have for more than three years voiced their disapproval of the development of the property.
The property owners submitted a special consent application to the eThekwini Municipality to allow the completed building to be used as a place of worship, specifically a mosque.
They had also asked that the building line be relaxed.
After the City failed to grant the application, the developers appealed the decision.
Rizana Karim, a physiotherapist who lives adjacent to the property in question, wrote to the municipality on behalf of other residents objecting to the appeal lodged by the developer.
"This community, including its Muslim residents, remains united in opposition to this development due to its catastrophic impact on our residential safety, privacy, and the rule of law," said Karim.
The reasons she cited as to why the Appeals Authority should uphold the refusal include privacy breach; noise from pre-dawn and late-night traffic during prayer times; infrastructure gridlock and traffic during prayer times, special religious programmes, or funerals; danger to pedestrians and congestion; and that there was no need for another mosque as there are already several established mosques in close proximity to Imeson Road.
She claimed the developer has demonstrated a systemic disregard for the eThekwini Land Use Scheme through unauthorised deviations from approved plans and illegal excavations. "The original decision by the Municipality to refuse this application was a correct application of planning principles and we urge the Appeals Authority to uphold that refusal. To grant this appeal would be to reward illegal activity and set a dangerous precedent for all of Morningside. There is no need or desirability for this facility in this specific, constrained location. It is a poorly conceived, illegally executed project that poses direct threat to the community," said Karim.
The developer, who did not want to be named, said they were allowing the process to run its course.
"We appealed as we weren't happy with the outcome following the application process. We want this property to be a place of worship. How will I benefit? This is for the benefit of the community. But some people are objecting for their own selfish reasons. There are a greater number of people who are in support of a place of worship," he said.
Gugu Sisilana, eThekwini Municipality’s marketing and communications deputy head said the City would like to clarify that objections submitted during the public participation phase of the application were received and formed part of the bundle of documents that was presented to the eThekwini Town Planning Appeals Authority for consideration.
"In their submission, residents expressed opposition to the proposed development, citing concerns about its potential impact on residential safety, privacy, and compliance with the rule of law," said Sisilana.
She said the issues cited in their submission included traffic related issues as Imeson Road is a narrow, one-way road, that there is no need for a new facility in the area as there are existing mosques in close approximately to the application site and that the proposal will put strain on the municipal infrastructure such as the sewage, water, and power.
Further submissions were the non-compliance with National Building Regulations and disobeying of Municipal By-Laws as the applicant has already completed the construction and disregarded stop order notices issued by the Municipality, safety concerns, encroachment of building line relaxation and deviations to approved plan resulting in invasion of privacy, noise pollution and community disruption.
"The City confirms that the original decision by the Municipality was to refuse the application in accordance with applicable planning principles. The applicant subsequently exercised their right to appeal this decision.
"The appeal has not yet been finalised. The Town Planning Appeals Committee considered the appeal at its meeting held on 11 March 2026 and resolved that an inspection in loco be conducted before a decision is taken on the appeal. The site inspection is yet to be scheduled," said Sisilana.
She said the appellant has also requested that an oral hearing be held.
"The Committee will determine whether to grant this request after conducting a site inspection. Thereafter, a meeting will be held for the Committee to deliberate on and conclude the appeal, together with any other appeal items that are ready for consideration,” said Sisilana.