In my work as conveyancer, I have become increasingly aware of the debilitating situation that prevails within the Municipality as far as rates clearance certificates are concerned.
Every transfer of immovable property in the greater Durban Area requires the issue of a rates clearance certificate in order that the documents can be lodged and registered in the Deeds Office.
Now we have an on-line link to the Municipality for this purpose. It’s all supposed to work quickly and efficiently so that there is no delay to the transfer process.
The Property industry has become used to benchmark delay period of 6 weeks to 2 months to register a transfer. Currently that period is extended by another 2 months ( at a guess – if not more)– simply because the Ethekwini Rates Department are in complete disorder with their RMS (Revenue Management System). This is their super –duper new system that has cost rate payers R1bn when it was supposed to cost R75m initially. The real problem is not the cost, but is the fact that it is not working – or if it is – it has cast the rates situation into chaos. This problem does not just impact rates clearances, it also impacts the monthly inputs of rates figures into the consolidated billing accounts that all homeowners receive. The result is a complete mess up of the billings to property owners, not to mention the disaster to the property transfer process.
In discussion with DA councillors, they confirm that my plan to form DRAG is a good initiative. What is needed in their view is a public protest group or forum that will use the force of public numbers/opinion and the media to bring much increased pressure on the Municipal structures so that a solution to this nightmare is implemented WITH SPEED. Currently that pressure does not exist within the Municipality; not at least in any substantial form.
In fact, I don’t think they have a solution really, one of the root causes being that the RMS system is so complex that their employees don’t know how to work it – or work it properly. So the first objective of DARG is to force Municipality to appoint an outside crisis task team to take over from the existing workers to remove the massive backlog – then train the Municipal workers to run the system efficiently and within acceptable time parameters. Drag’s third and final objective is to have a representative present at a weekly progress management meeting where reliable info on the status of events can be gleaned for dispatch to the public/affected parties.
We are calling for interested people to be present at a public meeting to form an action committee so DRAG can do its work in more formalized way. If this speaks to you, please get in touch with us via our contact form.