In a decisive move to address the overwhelming backlog in the Gauteng Division of the High Court, Judge President Dunstan Mlambo has issued a landmark directive introducing compulsory mediation for all civil trial matters.
The City of Johannesburg is giving property owners who own residential properties the opportunity to apply or re-apply for rebate benefits.
A month after President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the decaying City of Gold, Mayor Dada Morero announced a turnaround plan that includes a ‘bomb squad’.
Cape Town residents are up in arms over a controversial plan by the City to increase municipal service levies by as much as 30%, sparking widespread outrage and fears of displacement – especially among middle-class property owners.
The Constitutional Court recently came to the assistance of a mining company that was being bullied by the Sol Plaatje Municipality, based in Kimberley in the Northern Cape, by charging it exponentially more than other industrial clients for property rates.
The coalition government in Tshwane led by the African National Congress (ANC), ActionSA and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has tabled the municipality’s first funded budget in four years.
Why property owners must check Tshwane’s new general valuation roll. A property owner in Wonderboom South, Pretoria, got the shock of his life when he recently received a notice from the City of Tshwane..
Residents in the City of Tshwane who settle their outstanding rates and taxes incurred in the last 12 months will qualify for a 70% write-off on any municipal debt more than a year old.
The Tshwane multi-party coalition government is pleased to announce that the city has just completed a revaluation of properties for the purpose of levying property rates, and the new rates will be billed as from 1 July 2025.
In the conveyancing context, obtaining and lodging a rates clearance certificate is central to a successful property transfer.
In 2024, South Africa witnessed the formation of an unprecedented Government of National Unity (GNU) after the national elections in May. The African National Congress (ANC) lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since 1994, securing only 40% of the vote.
Johannesburg has initiated legal action against a judgment by a valuation appeal board (VAB) concerning the categorisation of properties used for residential purposes developed on land where the use zone also allows business and commercial use.
Rates Watch has lodged a significant number of appeals in many municipalities across South Africa. Our latest update looks at those appeals that are still outstanding in each major metro.
The Information Regulator, charged with overseeing, amongst others, enforcement of the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) intends looking into the practice of security officers at gated office parks, residential estates, and the like, of scanning visitors’ driver’s license cards prior to admission to the property.
If as a member of the public you notice any by-law violations listed below, you can anonymously lodge a complaint with the City