Residents vent their anger at officials
26 January 2017
Turffontein, a once-glorious Johannesburg suburb, has fallen into a shocking state of urban decay.
As a result, the value of properties in the area has sharply depreciated.
During a Property Rates Policy meeting at Eureka House in Wemmer Pan on Wednesday night 25 January, residents wanted to know why they should be paying their rates and taxes when the value of their properties was in such freefall.
An elderly woman, who has lived in Turffontein for more than 25 years, said the suburb had lost its shine.
“I’ve lived in this area for many years. Infrastructure is not being taken care of. Grass grows onto pavements and is not cut. People here have spaza shops in every street. This can’t be right. Now you have evangelical churches springing up all over the place. The noise from them is unbearable,” said the resident.
This issue was raised during a roundtable discussion session. It had been preceded by a presentation by the City’s Rates and Taxes officials on how residents could contribute to the review of the current rates.
A woman in her mid-40s from Rosettenville complained that residents’ pleas to city officials regarding their suburb had fallen on deaf ears.
“Properties have been falling. As things stand, I’ve been battling to sell my house for the past eight years because of this state of affairs. Some properties have been deserted. Who is supposed to pay the rates for these properties? Every time we report these cases to City of Johannesburg we do not get any joy. I want to know what the City is actually doing with such complaints.”
Other issues that emanated from the meeting related to billing. Residents complained that they were being billed incorrectly for their water and electricity consumption.
Veli Hlophe, Head of Property Rates and Taxes, told the ratepayers their concerns would be attended to.
“We understand you. I want to assure you that your concerns will be escalated to the relevant authorities. Issues such as billing are not our area. This is why I requested account numbers and details of residents so I can pass on the queries to colleagues in the department that will assist them,” said Hlophe.
Ward 75 Councillor Faieeza Chaame said such meetings were important to communities.
“Our residents have to know all policy changes and how they will affect them. This is why we organise such gatherings. Residents also get an opportunity to interact with us as their community leaders,” said Chaame.
The Property Rates Policy meetings will be wrapped up at the Roodepoort City Hall on February 13. A total of 21 meetings will be held citywide over three weeks. The due date for all comments, inputs and submissions is 21 February 2017.
Residents can make comments on the current policy on ratescomments@joburg.org.za.