Expropriation heads to court

The City of Ekurhuleni claims it doesn't have to compensate a company from which it expropriated land, as its interests are outweighed by the needs of residents.

- Gareth Cotterell

This has emerged in court papers filed by the metro in a case regarding the land it expropriated in Driefontein, Boksburg, according to City Press.

The company, Business Venture Investments 900 (BVI 900), is not contesting the expropriation of the land, but the lack of compensation. Mediation will take place next month, before a trial in the High Court in Johannesburg in February next year.

The dispute began in 2019, after the city issued a formal expropriation notice and took the land. BVI 900 lodged a claim for R30 million based on independent valuations.