Residents, ratepayers, and business owners are basking in relief after the eThekwini Council recently resolved to act on age-old property challenges.

The council officially passed a Notice of Motion, brought to council by the DA, that the Land Use Management Unit be investigated by the Economic Development and Planning Commission (EDPC) to establish the number of unresolved land use complaints.

The motion also calls for the development of an online integrated complaints platform that will digitally log and track violations.

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The Problem Properties Forum (PPF) has been at the forefront of the mission to get the City to regulate, and act on illegal and non-compliant property owners.

“We wish to thank the councillors for facilitating something that the forum has been fighting for, since its inception. Not only does it mean that bottlenecks in law enforcement will be investigated, but citizens will now be kept informed – formally and effectively – of the progress of any complaint” said Niki Moore, founder of PPF.

She added, “This is a massive win for us, and the forum wishes also to acknowledge and thank the energetic members of the public who have worked tirelessly with us to keep this issue in the public eye.”

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Moore said the victory is a breakthrough after four years of pursuing the Land Use Unit to introduce some sort of a tracking system.

“The lack of such a tracking system has left residents with no way of knowing what is happening with their complaints, they are not able to follow up or check on progress, if any. Now, for the first time, we will be able to see exactly who is doing their job and who is not doing their job,” Moore said.

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