DA Councillor allegedly illegally occupying house

A DA PR Councillor’s ill-timed decision refusing to vacate a property in Florida she was suppose to be paying occupational rent for, might be an unwelcome embarrassment for her party with the municipal elections around the corner.

According to the daughter, Natasha Taljaard of the owners of the house at 27 Widgeon Street, the councillor, Jackie Matladi has caused the family not only financial woes but also emotional distress. Taljaard, who has been living with her parents, said the trouble started when Matladi put in an offer to purchase late last year undertaking to pay occupational rent. The family undertook to purchase another house and accordingly paid occupational rent there until the Widgeon Street home was sold and therefor relied on Matladi’s monthly rent to pay for their own.

After two months Taljaard alleges Matladi informed her parents her bond was approved and she stopped paying occupational rent.

But all they received were excuses from the Councillor. Eventually the Taljaard family could not afford their own rent anymore and had to be split up to live with relatives and friends causing great inconvenience to all. Wanting to move back to their own home they asked her in March to vacate and she said she would either drop off the keys or they can collect them. Every time though she allegedly had an excuse or were not at home.

Taljaard said her family has lost a great deal of money when they were paying occupational rent at the house they intended to purchase which they now had to forfeit. She said they are also frustrated by waiting for an eviction order from the courts and are dismayed by the seeming state of disarray the property is in.

“Washing is hanging over the street boundary wall and taxis come and goes. I do not know if she runs some kind of taxi rank from the property,” said Taljaard.

Matladi on the other hand says the bond agents never payed the bond money to the Taljaards. She also claims she had been paying occupational rent up until June and that her lawyers are currently dealing with the matter. Matladi said the DA has “fired her from her job” and she has undertaken to pay the outstanding occupational rent.

When the Record spoke to DA Provincial Leader John Moodey he said Matladi is indeed the subject of a disciplinary investigation into bringing the party into disrepute but was perplexed by her comment that she has been fired.

“We are not at liberty to fire her. Once the investigation is done the findings must first be ratified by the Provincial Executive and the Federal Executive before we can take that step,” said Moodey. He undertook to investigate her claim of being fired, and report back to the Record.

Matladi said she would supply documents to support her side of the story.

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