The Democratic Alliance (DA) has submitted formal objections to Gamagara on the planned implementation of the grossly flawed Sub-Valuation Roll in the hope that the municipality will urgently review it before scheduled implementation on 1 March.
The DA objected to the previous sub-valuation roll that was meant to come out in December and since the end of January, the DA has repeatedly reported serious concerns to the Mayor, the Municipal Manager, the Chief Financial Officer and finance portfolio members in relation to the amended roll.
Some of the discrepancies include the following:
• Nearly 80% of properties on the roll are incorrectly zoned and properties like the Post Office, Parking, and the Traffic Department have been incorrectly categorized.
• Many properties in Deben’s Vlei Erwe have seen valuations double, despite them being vacant stands with no services and construction rights.
• The sub-valuation roll includes non-existent properties and streets in Kathu. In some instances, properties were also inaccurately re-listed. This includes a large property in Bestwood that was subdivided into smaller units. The subdivided stands were valued at the price of the large stand before it was subdivided, making it unaffordable for the owners. In the Golf Estate, 16 properties were consolidated and subdivided into 32 units, but the roll lists only 16 properties.
Implementation of the defective roll, which the valuator has conceded was based on incorrect data received from the municipality, stands to disadvantage the municipality and numerous property owners.
The most concerning consequence of implementing a flawed Sub-Valuation Roll is the potential impact on Gamagara’s budget. If Gamagara proceeds with an inaccurate roll, it will be budgeting on projected revenue that will not materialize, leading to unforeseen refunds and a strained financial situation. This happened in 2016, when Gamagara had to pay back hundreds of thousands of rands to a mine, while its defective budget caused financial stability within the institution.
The DA will continue to oppose the flawed Sub-Valuation roll and fight for its review.
Gamagara must act to prevent a repeat financial crisis and to shield property owners from the injustice and inconvenience of flawed tariffs.