Thousands of objections flood City of Ekurhuleni over new property valuations

The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has received approximately 17 000 objections from ratepayers following the release of its fifth general valuation roll, which will apply for the period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2029.

The valuation roll for the current financial year was made available for public inspection earlier this year, with the comment period running from February 19 to June 25. June 25 was also the deadline for submitting formal objections.
According to the city, the high volume of objections has impacted the processing timeline, and finalising all objection outcomes may take until the end of September.

Each objection, the city explained, is formally logged and carefully assessed by the municipal valuer. This process includes reviewing the concerns raised as well as any supporting documentation submitted by property owners. Based on this review, a resolution is reached and an official outcome is issued.
In cases where the property owner remains dissatisfied, a further appeal may be lodged with the independent Valuation Appeal Board for an additional review.

While an objection is under consideration, the city has urged ratepayers to continue paying their municipal accounts.
“If the billed rates are believed to be excessively high due to a possible error, the ratepayer may make partial payments,” said city spokesperson Zweli Dlamini.
“It is crucial that the ratepayer notifies the billing department to formally flag their account, as this helps prevent the account from being subjected to debt collection.”
Once an objection has been resolved, any necessary adjustments will be made to reflect the updated valuation on the municipal account.

Residents seeking assistance or more information are encouraged to visit their nearest customer care centres.

Objections and challenges
Despite the inspection process being completed, the valuation rollout has not been without controversy.
Caxton Local Media’s Boksburg Advertiser received numerous complaints from concerned property owners who questioned the transparency and accuracy of the process.

At a public meeting held in March at the Boksburg Civic Centre, which was attended by Advertiser journalists, residents expressed alarm over what they viewed as inflated and inaccurate property values. They called on the municipality to provide clarity on how these valuations were calculated.
Derek Fox of Boksburg’s City Improvement Project, one of the meeting organisers, highlighted examples that raised red flags.

“One of the ageing buildings in Commissioner Street (Boksburg CBD) jumped from R5.7m to R14m,” he said.
“Another property in the same area, previously valued at R3.2m, is now listed at R9m. This indicates that something is not right here. We need the city to explain how it arrived at these excessively high valuations.”

Also Read: Ekurhuleni valuation roll riddled with errors – residents