Rates appeal board moves step closer

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality will finally start processing hundreds of property valuation appeals after the composition of a new appeals board was approved.

This comes more than a year after the 2017 general property valuations process, which left about 430 owners unhappy with the way the city had valued their properties.

Up until now, property owners who had objected to the city’s valuations of their properties could not appeal as there was no board in place.

The municipality is required by the Local Government Municipal Property Rates Amendment Act to establish the board through co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa.

A report meant to be tabled to the budget and treasury portfolio committee on Monday details how former mayor Athol Trollip and Xasa could not see eye to eye on the people proposed to serve on the board.

Municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki said on Tuesday that Xasa appointed the members of the appeals board on September 18 and notified the municipality on Saturday.

The report was subsequently discussed under confidential items.

Councillors in the committee, who asked not to be named as the matter was confidential, confirmed the appeals board would now be established.

One councillor said the protracted delay was due to incompetence at a provincial government level.

“This has been very frustrating. It should have been dealt with at a provincial government level in April 2017.

“We are now nearing the end of 2018 and we haven’t dealt with this yet.

“This has caused havoc. People who wanted to sell their property might have struggled to apply for rates clearances and everything that has been outstanding.

“This is very unfortunate and hopefully it will be resolved by the end of this year.”

It is unclear when the board will start processing appeals.

The move to establish an appeals board comes amid claims by Walmer 8th Avenue residents that a massive blunder by the municipality had resulted in the value of their properties increasing by more than 97% in 2017.

Dean Hayden, 55, said his Walmer property had been valued at R3.2m, from R1.6m at the previous valuation.

Hayden said he had objected early in 2017 but hit a brick wall when he could not appeal against the valuation.

He said he had brought in an independent valuator who found that the property was actually worth R1.6m less.

“They seem to suck these values out of the air.

“This affects our rates, which are based on the valuation – our monthly rates doubled from R1,500 to R3,000,” Hayden said.

He said he believed that this was a legitimate mistake that needed to be rectified.

Hayden said this had caused a divide among residents along 8th Avenue as some properties had been incorrectly valued but their values had actually decreased.

“We just want fairness and transparency,” he said.

In the budget and treasury report, acting financial officer Jackson Ngcelwane warned that all the appeals would not be dealt with within the timeframes stipulated in the act.

“The appeals board will only be able to commence with its duties and consider the appeals received once the MEC has confirmed the appointments and once the municipality has entered into memorandums of agreement with each member,” Ngcelwane wrote.

‘This af fects our rates – our monthly rates doubled from R1,500 to R3,000’ Dean Hayden

WALMER PROPERTY OWNER