Farmers boiling over rates

Mandeni farmers are outraged after their property rates have been increased by more than 200 percent.

Speaking at a DA community meeting in Darnall last week, resident and executive member of the Mangete Development Committee and administrator of the Southern and Northern Mangete Development Trusts, John Hunt, pleaded for help on behalf of farmers after Mandeni municipality refused to back down on the increase from 0.0031 to 0.0159 for the coming financial year.

He said a property valuation on some farmland had not been processed and that farmers who are to pay more money than what they make, did not have access to basic services from the municipality.

“They are now asking us to accept a 206 percent increase in our rates bill when our cane income is actually falling by over 20 percent. The municipality have budgeted to increase their revenue by over 10 percent of which over 70 percent will be financed by increases to their property rates.”

Hunt said most of the farmland in the area was being targeted by land invasions. He said this factor significantly decreased the market value of the land.

“Increasing land invasions is a problem and we are suggesting that invaded land should have a zero market value and adjoining farms should have their market value reduced by 50 percent. No one wants to buy land which is invaded.”

A meeting between farm owners, Mandeni municipality chief financial officer and representatives of the Cane Growers association took place three weeks ago where objections to the rates increase were raised.

Letter: What is the logic of farm rates?

Two farmers who asked to remain anonymous said they had been victims of abuse from the government. They pleaded that the municipality’s policies be re-examined.

DA member of parliament and shadow minister of trade and industry Dean Macpherson vowed to escalate the matter in parliament.

Responding to the increase Mandeni Municipal manager Sizwe Khuzwayo explained that three agricultural categories had to be reclassified as one – with a single, standard rate.

“It is true that this is a significant increase. However, the amendments in the municipal property rates act only allows for a single category in the agricultural properties.

“So all agricultural properties had to be reclassified and consolidated to be a single category, meaning Farms Agriculture Purpose, Farms Commercial Purpose and Farms Other had to be combined into a single category.

“In the process of combining all these categories, we had to strike a balance and come up with a single balanced tariff. It was quite obvious that others were to benefit from this process while those who have been benefiting of the years will have to put in a little bit more in order to match up with the other farmers.

He denied that the municipality was targeting farmers and said the valuation roll objections were being looked at.

“It should also be noted that as a municipality we have suffered a loss close to R3 million because of recategorising the rates. We consulted the municipal valour in this regard and he has assured us that indeed he did receive your objection and he is still working on it. It should be noted that the process of property valuation is done by people who are experts in their field and they use quality assurance in the work that they do on our behalf.”

Read John Hunt’s letter HERE.

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