ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAYOR XABA CALLS FOR SPECIAL COURTS TO ADDRESS LAND INVASIONS AND HIJACKED PROPERTIES
In a decisive move to curb the spate of land invasions and property hijackings, eThekwini Municipality Mayor, Councillor Cyril Xaba, has approached the Minister of Justice, Mamoloko Kubayi, to address this issue through the establishment of special courts.
The Minister has agreed to meet with the Mayor to discuss the matter in detail.
The Mayor has also directed the City Manager to establish a team that will consolidate a formal proposal to the Minister.
Mayor Xaba’s proposal is necessitated by the growing concern among property owners that once they lose control of their land or buildings to criminals, it becomes extremely difficult and costly to reclaim them.
“This process requires court supervision, which does not come cheap. In many townships and suburbs, properties are still registered in the names of original owners who are now deceased. The problem is compounded by the fact that many did not leave wills, which further complicates the transfer of ownership,” said Xaba.
He indicated that some of these properties have fallen prey to criminal syndicates, who hijack them and unlawfully collect rent from tenants.
The Mayor added that many property owners are unable to access legal recourse due to financial constraints.
“I strongly believe that special courts can ameliorate the situation and make the administration of justice more accessible, similar to municipal courts that deal with traffic violations and commercial courts,” said Xaba.
As part of the municipality’s efforts to partially address the challenge, it has implemented a Deceased Estate Debt Write-Off Programme.
Through this initiative, the municipality has written off more than R500 million in debt owed by deceased estates.
“We introduced this programme because it was difficult to collect rates from properties registered under deceased estates,” said Xaba.
The policy applies to properties valued under R1 million, and the deceased estate must have been 24 months as at the policy’s approval in August 2024.
A key condition is that family members must agree on who will take responsibility for municipal accounts to prevent the reaccumulation of debt.
The Mayor strongly believes that the establishment of special courts for hijacked properties and land invasions will protect property owners from unlawful activities and ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.
ENDS
Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Marketing and Communications Directorate.
