Town in need of a ratepayers association

Johan Verdoorn writes by email:
I proudly submitted my objection to the new valuation which is more than 85 per cent of the current value for which I pay rates and taxes.

My house was built by my father and has been occupied by my family since 1970.

I acquired ownership in 2010 from my father.

Over the past 51 years, the only road maintenance done in the area was to fill some potholes and after I complained about the width of Samuel Street in Kenleaf One, a slapdash job was done to throw tar on half a meter of the grass section to effect a small increase in the road surface.

Occasionally the street lights are repaired, but the residents of Kenleaf One are plagued by power interruptions because the meter boxes were vandalised by vagrants who steel every little piece of metal to earn some form of income.

Collection of refuse is currently erratic and it has become a part-time job to guess and be ready when the next pick up will occur, and when it does, one has to clean the road after the truck has left due to the speed at which the bins are dropped into the truck and back on the street.

One cannot get hold of the council numbers when you phone unless you engage with the DA councillor to assist.

I addressed the council regarding the fact that people are allowed to pitch makeshift homes where they wish, bringing them into our suburb and pestering the residents daily with begging and stealing every little item they can lay their hands on, even where light fittings and cameras are concerned.

I have been marketing my house for an amount equal to the increased valuation for my property with no success, so I am querying how the council arrived at a municipal value as indicated in the new valuation roll, bearing in mind that traditionally municipal valuations are lower than the actual open market value.

If the council maintains this approach and ridiculous values, they will harm the property industry in Brakpan as the banks will not provide finance for an over-inflated property, as they conduct their valuations in line with a conservative municipal valuation.

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Lastly, the council cannot demand that taxpayers just pay increased rates and taxes based on the increases imposed unless consensus is reached on what a reasonable value should be, and such processes are outlined in Municipal Property Rates Act.

An example is taken from Pretoria where five per cent increases were done on the valuation roll, which is in line with inflation and reasonable.

Ward councillors must take cognisance of the unethical process followed by Ekurhuleni and demand that reasonable increases are applied as citizens are prejudiced by the valuation increases imposed.

It is furthermore recommended that a Brakpan Ratepayers Association be formed to deal with Ekurhuleni which seems to do what they want to the detriment of the ratepayers.

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