A whopping 11 913 Joburg ratepayers and property owners signed OUTA’s petition against increased property rates in Johannesburg earlier this year. But what will happen next? 

In the petition, we advocated for all property valuation increases to be limited to a maximum of 9%, ensuring a fair conclusion to the objection, appeal, and section 78 request processes. Furthermore, we requested adjusting the 2% property rates tariff increase to -2.5% to maintain a balanced income within the City, aligning with CPI. Our third request was for increasing the property value rebate on the first R300,000 (was R350,000) to R380,000.

OUTA and  JoburgCAN (see here), our new division, have been actively engaging with the City, but as most of you know, there was a fire at the Head Offices and staff are now working from home. This has led to a frustrating process by which we engaged physically and telephonically with 11 officials before we got to the Petition Unit.  Despite these challenges we have made progress. The Petition Unit has referred the petition to the Johannesburg Ombudsman, and we are hoping for a response in the next few weeks.

Simultaneously, we are exploring legal avenues to challenge the status quo, although this has proven to be time-consuming and costly. We understand that many of you have questions about the way forward. To assist you, we have partnered with Schindlers Attorneys, who can provide guidance in the following scenarios:

• If you've lodged an objection and it has not been adjusted to the reasonable value of your property, and you have 30 days to appeal.

• If you've objected but haven't received feedback yet.

• If you missed the objection deadline on 5 May 2023 and are uncertain about your options.

For detailed guidance, please visit our website here and share this information with your friends, local residents association, and others affected by this issue.

Thank you for your continued support in this important matter. We appreciate your dedication to the cause and will keep you informed on any developments.