The Middle Class Earners committee members are livid after Msukaligwa Municipality allegedly reneged on a payment agreement regarding stands made available for them in Ext 7.
According to the committee chairman, Mr Jabu Mahlangu, the municipality is allegedly asking for full payment upfront before members can begin to build on their stands.
The municipality confirmed this when the Highvelder enquired at the municipal offices.
According to the municipal spokesman, Mr Mandla Zwane, those buying stands in Ext 7 must pay R40 000 before they can get a stand.
“We sent out offer to purchase letters in February where it clearly stated buyers must pay the fee,” Mr Zwane said.
The Highvelder is in possession of such a letter.
However, the committee does not approve of this and is adamant a resolution approved by council in July 2017 states the committee members can pay the R40 000 fee in instalments of up to 36 months.
After enquiries, Msukaligwa revealed the resolution in question was revoked during another council sitting in December 2017 during which the council rescinded the previous resolution of the 36 months payment method as it is forbidden in terms of Section 164 of the Municipal Finance Management Act.
This means it is against the law for the municipality to make loans with certain borrowers, including members of the public.
The committee said it was not aware of this.
The Highvelder is in possession of the second resolution.
“We were not told of this resolution and are surprised about these developments,” Mr Mahlangu said.
The Highvelder sought a neutral legal opinion on the matter.The person said if there is a resolution that revokes the initial resolution, then the committee will have to pay for their stands up front.However, they questioned why there was such a resolution in the first place if the municipality knew about Ssection 164.
Another legal eye perused documents at the newspaper’s disposal and was in agreement with the first one saying the Middle Class Earners committee and its members have no choice but to pay the fee upfront.
“The municipality is within their rights to revoke a resolution,” he added.
This does not bode well for the committee that thinks the municipality is going back to the original agreement.
The committee has a long-standing fight with council regarding the issue of land in Ext 7 in Wesselton and picketed outside the municipal offices in November last year to protest over the price of the stands.
Members of the committee are from the middle class community who cannot get government housing or benefits and do not qualify for a bond at banks.
Also read: Thousands of Wesselton residents can get land after provincial government conducts land audit
Various political parties are against the selling of stands in Ext 7. The South African Communist Party (SACP) strongly condemned the process and stated they did not recognise the committee.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), however, has taken on a softer stance, saying people should get stands for free.
This is a developing story and the Highvelder will be following it closely.
