City of Cape Town’s new cleaning fee: What you need to know...
Some residents will be paying more — but seeing no extra cleaning — under the City’s new 'cleaning sundry tariff’.
City centre of Cape Town, Table Mountain. Wikimedia Commons/Discott
CapeTalk's Clarence Ford is joined by Rowan Terry, Senior Legal Counsel at TPN Credit Bureau.
Listen below:
More bang for your buck? Not quite.
Some Cape Town residents are finding out that despite paying the City's new cleaning fee, they're not getting any extra services.
The City of Cape Town says its newly introduced monthly cleaning fee, which is applicable to specific neighbourhoods, seeks to address the cleanliness of public spaces and litter on public property.
The fee is referred to as a 'city-wide cleaning sundry tariff', but it's ruffling a few feathers, explains Terry.
"It's there to keep public areas such as streets and parks clean."
- Rowan Terry, Senior Legal Counsel - TPN Credit Bureau
"Although this is an additional charge... there are no new services that are going to be offered with this fee."
- Rowan Terry, Senior Legal Counsel - TPN Credit Bureau
Terry explains that the charge isn't linked to municipal services used at the property, but is calculated based on the municipal valuation of the home.
AfriForum says it will challenge the legality of the fees, saying they are potentially unconstitutional.
The South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) has also launched their challenge.
"SAPOA has launched an urgent application to specifically set aside these amounts; they're regarding them as unconstitutional."
- Rowan Terry, Senior Legal Counsel - TPN Credit Bureau
Moreover, in the instance where property is inhabited by tenants, there has been confusion over who is liable to pay the new costs.
"If you want to pass this on to your tenant, you would need to look at the terms of your lease agreement."
- Rowan Terry, Senior Legal Counsel - TPN Credit Bureau
"If it is a utility charge and you use our TPN lease, you are covered to charge your tenant."
- Rowan Terry, Senior Legal Counsel - TPN Credit Bureau
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