Small group of Kleinfontein residents refusing to pay levies to board of directors

A small group of residents in the whites Afrikaner only settlement of Kleinfontein have broken rank and are refusing to pay their levies and taxes to the board of directors.

The group, calling itself the Kleinfontein Residents’ Association, wants to pay their rates directly to the Tshwane Municipality.

This is the latest factional battle that has rocked the Pretoria North settlement, which is also engaged in a legal battle against the municipality for its survival.

Kleinfontein operates as a share-block scheme.

A holding company, Kleinfontein Andeleblok, owns all the land and individuals buy shares to use a specific portion, usually to build their houses.

However, the residents never own the homes they live in and have to pay taxes and levies to the Kleinfontein board of directors.

Chairperson of the Kleinfontein Residents' Association Henk Cilliers said a group of about 90 residentsare no longer happy with the current set-up.

“We want to pay, but not to them because I can’t trust them with my money because they don’t pay it over to Tshwane [Municipality]. Now, Tshwane wants to demolish this place, and they want to tax us seven times now. No, no. I think there are much more [who want to join us], but the people are too afraid because you can’t sell your place, you can’t rent it out if you not in their good books.”

Kleinfontein spokesperson Dannie de Beer said the association is an “informal pressure group” that doesn’t represent the majority of people living in the settlement.

“The share block company of which the members are shareholders own the title deeds. Members through their shareholding own improvements such as houses on their land surveyed portion represented by their shareholding.”

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