Noordhoek victory becomes rates disaster
The Daniels family waited 40 years to get back land stolen by the apartheid government – prime property in the coastal suburb of Noordhoek.
Now a Sunday Times report says they cannot get rid of the land because of an administrative error with their successful land claim.
Instead of benefiting from the land – returned to them 22 years ago – they cannot develop it, cannot sell it, and sit with a rates bill they cannot afford to pay.
They blame this on the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform & Rural Development.
They were told the department had given them incomplete title deeds which disqualify them from being granted a rates rebate by the City of Cape Town.
They owe rates of R500 000.
In addition the land has been illegally invaded by a frustrated member of the Daniels family who refuses to budge and has incurred several bylaw infringement fines – adding to the property’s indebtedness.
Correspondence from the city’s Revenue & Finance Department sent last month to the national Agriculture Department indicates the title deed failed to specify the property was a land restitution award. As such it did not qualify for a rates rebate.
‘The title deed of the Daniel Family Trust does not reflect any of the relevant legislation that defines the property as land restitution award,’ reads the correspondence.
The city independently confirmed its rates rebate only applied to validated and verified land claims.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
