Industria business owners set to boycott paying rates
PROPERTY owners in Industria, who have invested millions in their premises, are threatening a rates boycott because of the filth in the area, which they blame on the City of Joburg.
They say they have not seen municipal employees cleaning or maintaining streets, walkways and pavements for the past year.
Robert Slavin, who runs a business in the area and spoke on behalf of other property owners, said the area was “absolutely filthy. Apart from garbage there are weeds, high grass and large branches of trees lying in the road, broken off by wind and passing trucks.
“We are a hi-tech manufacturing company trying to maintain the highest of operational standards and are exposed to foreign visitors regularly,” he said.
“In addition, in a recent insurance evaluation of our properties, valuators were utilised to attach values to our properties, which exhibited a reduction in values as opposed to historical values. This is notwithstanding a general rise in property prices in the market and inflation.”
Slavin said the companies there paid a significant amount for municipal rates on the properties – several hundred thousand a year.
Likewise, their neighbours were also paying a large amount for rates and were prepared to join them in the boycott against the council if they didn’t receive the services for which they were paying.
“We have attempted to meet the councillor for the area who has broken his appointment with reference to viewing the situation,” Slavin said.
His business has been operating from the premises for 40 years. The area has been deteriorating to such an extent that conditions are unhygienic and, in some cases, constitute a fire and health risk.
The complaints are: