New Service plan in place
Developing and planning department implements non-contact system
JOBURG residents whose building plans, property transfers and new developments have been on hold since the start of lockdown now have some hope of restarting their businesses.
Developers, buyers, sellers and private builders have lost billions of rand because their transactions have not been taking place.
The construction of new developments, including student accommodation and affordable housing units in the CBD, was put on halt.
Willie van Wyk, an architectural technologist, said everything came to a standstill a week before lockdown.
“We have tried to transact online but everything was down. Certain things could have been done online to expedite matters, but the staff was not around. People have lost millions,” he said.
Morokei Makgalemele from Mondeor, said he has been trying to do a bond transfer into his name from a joint account with his ex-wife.
“It seems impossible to get my clearance certificate. The fees have already been paid for three months and May is the last month,” he said.
The city’s department of development planning said, however, in its role to support essential services has initiated measures to implement additional services that will be provided during the remainder of the Covid-19 lockdown period, said member of the mayoral committee for development planning, Lawrence Khoza.
Khoza said the department was committed to providing its support towards the fight against Covid-19 where required.
“This pandemic has left us to adjust to a new world; and that does not happen overnight. The department has been providing a number of services throughout the lockdown period, such as law enforcement. It has also given support, where necessary; and is continuously considering various options on how it can continue to provide its stakeholders with efficient services.
“We thank members of the public and industry for their patience as we try to get used to our new normal, and strive to work towards making business easy for everyone,” said Khoza.
The range of services available with development planning, as well as a contact list of officials relevant to these services, is as follows:
Land Use Development Management
Submission of land use and legal administrative application – as of Monday, June 1, the department will accept applications electronically on:
Land use applications – landuseapplications@joburg.org.za
Legal admin applications – legaladminapplications@joburg.org.za
Members of the public/applicants should refer to the city’s planning website for further details on the submission process of applications electronically.
Processing of applications Applications that are currently in the system and are complete, that do not require outstanding comments from municipal entities, state departments or public participation, will be processed and concluded.
Submission of objections Objections to applications continue to be submitted to objectionsplanning@joburg.org.za. Applications advertised during the lockdown and those that close under the lockdown will be extended by 28 days, once the lockdown is lifted.
Responding to enquiries and followups on applications
Enquiries and follow-ups on applications will be limited to email or telephone.
General communication with applicants
There will be no face-to-face consultations; however, general communication will be conducted with officials via email or telephone. All electronic processing of data such as deeds data is also continued, based on the availability of data from the Deeds Office which is now open.
Since the declaration of level 4 lockdown, the directorate has put in place measures to continue providing relevant services to communities on a rotational basis. Senior law enforcement officers will be available to conduct respective compliance inspections while working from home.
Members of the community are, therefore, encouraged to report any built environment contravention on: complaintsPLE@joburg.org.za