Meet Mayor Herman Mashaba on Wed 1 Aug
Join the conversation with Mayor Herman Mashaba at a public meeting on 1 Aug Wednesday evening at 6’30pm at the Dunkeld Bowls Club, 11 Hume Rd, Dunkeld. No RSVP, just turn up. See you there.
Billing & Valuations Update
There seem to be several issues with the latest invoices and some confusing over the valuation objections:
- New Tariffs. The new tariffs will kick in next month and your bill will reflect these increases. Mine has gone up by about 10%. To download a summary of the most common tariffs, please click here. Note that if you have a lodged an objection to your valuation and have an OBJ#, you can continue to pay your old rates charges until your objection has been processed. Once processed, you will then have to pay the rates based on the new amount plus interest. But I would advise that you rather pay the rates based on the amount you submitted in your objection: the formula is (Municipal Value in Rand – R350 000) x 0.007345 / 12. There is no VAT charged on property rates.
- Valuation Objections Update. The City’s valuers are still processing the objections and you will be notified via post or email with the outcome. The estimated date that they will be finished is February 2019. There is no way to track the progress of your application. But you can see your objections and their status by logging the Evaluations website.
- Late Valuation Objections: If you missed the 6 April deadline for lodging a valuation objection, you can still apply for a review. It will only be dealt with next year once the valuation team has finished processing the current 50000 objections. You will have to pay your rates based on the new valuation until your review has been processed (unfortunately, there will be no refunds). Click here for more info.
- Pensioner Rates Rebates Extension Period. The city is allowing residents who qualify for a pensioner’s rebate to still apply by the end of September. Once processed, your rates payments will be backdated to 1 July. If you miss this deadline, you will only receive the rebate in the month following your application. You can download the forms here. I would suggest you take them into a walk in centre like the one in Randburg.
- Pensioner Rates Rebates & Valuation Objections. If your property is currently valued over R2.5 million and you submitted an objection by 6 April, then you will, unfortunately, have to pay your rates until your objection is processed next year. You can pay the rates bill based on the info in the 1st bullet point above. The DA councillors have asked that pensioners who objected be fast-tracked.
- High Sectional Title Rates Charge. Residents in sectional title flats and housing developments have seen a huge increase in their rates. This stems from an issue with your new valuation – you have probably been rated as a sectional title business category instead of sectional title residential.
This means you are being charged at about 2.6 times the residential rate you were paying. And you have also lost your 5% high density discount and rebate on the 1st R350000 as you are no longer rated residential. If you go to the 2018 Valuations website where you lodged an objection and type in your account #, you will probably see that you were placed in the sectional title business category. You should have objected to that as well as the price.
I have been told that you need to complete and submit the Residential Form 2018. Please let me know how it goes. I have a suspicion that you or the city may need to lodge an appeal for late valuation objections.
Call Centre Operatives Needed
The DA will be running several call centres based in and around our suburbs. The one for Ward 117 (and 73, 74 and 81) is based in Waverley. If you are a DA supporter and would like to volunteer for a morning or day (preferably over a few weeks) then please contact me. The call centre hours will be from Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 9am-1pm. And it will be in Waverley. There will be other call centres, so if you live outside of my area I’ll put you in touch with the call centres in your area. Training will be provided.
If you would like to earn a bit of cash for a longer term commitment, then you can get paid R100/day, but will need to commit to regular sessions and sign a contract. This does not include food or transport though.
If you would like to join the DA or get more info on our activities, please see the section below with info on how to contact my branch.
Parkhurst Pool Needs Help
This pool will probably not open on 1 Sep. There is a problem with the 3 phase motor that drives the filtration system. The City has confirmed that we can get it fixed ourselves, if we can find an accredited technician and can fund it. I have a couple of irons in the fire with residents who may be able to help. But if you want to get involved, please let me know.
Community News
- Christmas in July (well August) on Thurs 2 August from 5-9pm:join in the fun at the annual Christmas in July festival in 4th Ave, Parkhurst. The shop owners and restaurants have really pushed the boat out this year with decorations and promotions.
- 7 August: The King David Pre-Primary School in Victory Park Fundraising Evening, They promise you an unforgettable evening with unbelievable entertainment from entree to dessert. We have the perfect way to release the winter blues with Comedian and ex-King Davidian, Claudine Ullman, our MC for the evening who is bound to make you cry with laughter. If this doesn’t move you then how about allowing your mind to be blown away with Mentalist – Gilan Gork. Enter our limited raffle (R100 per ticket) to win a Renault KWID or a Tsogo Sun weekend. Contact vpmarketing@sabje.co.za/ 011-446-7880 to book your seats and buy your raffle tickets.
- Spruit Day on 15 Sep 2018: Keep your diary open for this year’s Spruit Day, where residents, businesses and city departments come together to clean up and enjoy the waterways in our city.
Join The DA
If you want to join the DA, it costs R10 a year, or, I would recommend you take out a 5 year membership of R50. Please contact my Branch Membership Secretary – Teigue Payne on 082-892-2218 / teigue.payne@gmail.com. He will send the address where you can sign up and pay online. You can be from anywhere in Joburg as you will be allocated by Head Office to the Branch in your respective ward.
Subscribe to My Newsletter
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My Online Business Card
All you have to do is click on the link below to open up my online card and then click on the online “Save As Contact” link. Click here to access my Online Business Card
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