Developers' free ride

ILLEGALS: AT LEAST 19 IN AREAS UNDER TSHWANE METRO JURISDICTION

- Antoinette Slabbert

The Tshwane metro has known for years of at least 19 illegal developments within its area of jurisdiction, but failed to impose the punitive property rates the law provides for on the owners.

The illegality has been ignored as the properties were assessed as if used for agricultural purposes.

This means the owner's rates bill is calculated at a quarter of the rate applicable to households, or less, and other ratepayers have effectively been subsidising them.

Its political leadership seems clueless about the tools the legislator put at the council's disposal to deter illegal developments.

The situation persists in the city's new general valuation roll that has been published for comment and contains many big increases in the valuation of individual properties. Ratepayers have until 2 May to submit objections to their valuations.