Reddergburg Uitspraak Saak 5451/2024

[Administrator]

AFRIKAANS / ENGLISH BELOW

Van Jaap Kelder e-pos aan NBU lede

Môre almal,

Aangeheg die Bloemfontein hooggeregshof uitspraak waarin die munisipaliteit verbied word om dienste te onderbreek waar inwoners dispute verklaar het.  Die dispute is natuurlik gegrond op die nie-promulgasie van eiendomsbelasting tariewe.

Die agtergrond van die regsaksie is soos volg.
In Oktober 2017, dus presies sewe jaar gelede, is die NBU genooi om 'n inwoners vergadering op Reddersburg  toe te spreek oor wat inwoners kan doen om die agteruitgang van dienslewering aan te spreek.

Ons voorstel was dat die inwoners dispute verklaar oor ongepromulgeerde eiendomsbelasting.  Die Koster saak was nog aan die gang en kon ons op daardie stadium nog nie 'n hofbevel oor die wettigheid van die dispute op die tafel sit nie alhoewel ons oortuig was dat ons wel die saak sou wen. 
Soos u almal miskien sal weet is die Koster uitspraak in ons guns gewees op die 8ste Februarie 2018.

Nadat die Koster uitspraak die wettigheid van die terugeis van die ongepromulgeerde eiendomsbelasting bevestig het, het dit nog tien maande geneem om die Reddersburgers te oortuig dat dit die enigste manier gaan wees om die dorp se verval teen te werk.

Januarie 2019 het die RBBU begin met die verklaring van dispute en het die inwoners hulle gelde aan die RBBU oorbetaal ipv. aan die munisipaliteit.  Dit het geld tot die inwoners se beskikking gestel en kon daar begin word met die herstel van slaggate, ontblok van rioolverstoppings opruim van vullis, skoonmaak van die begraafplaas, stortingsterrein monitoring, sny van gras, verf van randstene ens.

Aanvanklik was dit maar 'n gespook om inwoners te oortuig dat dit 'n wettige en doeltreffende manier is om te werk te gaan en die hele gemeenskap se ondersteuning te kry.

'n Paar jaar gelede het die munisipale vullisverwydering in duie gestort en kon die RBBU ook die diens meer doelterffend en koste effektief lewer.  Dit het ook 'n manier geword om die draadsitters en apatiese inwoners op 'n mooi manier te dwing om aan die RBBU aktiwiteite deel te neem deurdat vullis van nie-deelnemers nie verwyder is nie en almal dus presies kon sien wie die nie-deelnemers was.

Tans is daar 90-95% deelname aan die aksies van die RBBU.

Aan die begin was dit ook maar 'n gespook om genoeg geld elke maand in te kry om die dienslewering en onderhoud te kon finansier maar gaandeweg het dit finansieël  beter en beter begin gaan en dat die RBBU vandag met etlike honderde duisende Rande in die bank sit terwyl die munispaliteit nie hulle werkers kan betaal nie.

Die plaaslike buurtwag en die RBBU het ook al hoe meer begin saamwerk soveelso dat daar vandag volle samewrking is en die dorp goed beveilig is met kamera's op strategiese plekke.
Afgelope Woensdag het die munisipale amptenare dit egter goedgedink om twee van die besighede se water af te sny op grond van agterstallige munispale rekeninge.  Terselfdertyd het die munisipale amptenare heethoofdigdes in die swart woongebeid aangemoedig om winkelvensters stukkend te gooi.

Die buurtwag het, met die behulp van die kamera's,  die skuldiges kon vastrek en sit hulle op die oomblik in die tronk met kriminele klagtes teen hulle.  Die reg sal daar ook nog sy loop moet neem.

Donderdagoggend is adv. Greeff gevra om 'n dringende aansoek in die Bloemfonteinse hooggeregshof te bring en was die saak gister op die rol.  Die uitspraak spreek vir sigself.

Vandag is Reddersburg 'n skoon, netjiese dorp met behoorlike  dienslewering soos wat dit voor 1994 was en is daar 'n groot aanvraag na huise aangesien talle mense van Bloemfontein en omliggende dorpe graag in 'n skoon netjiese dorp wil woon. 

Groete
Jaap Kelder

ENGLISH

From Jaap Kelder's email to NBU members:

Good morning everyone,

Attached is the Bloemfontein High Court ruling that prohibits the municipality from interrupting services where residents have declared disputes. These disputes are, of course, based on the non-promulgation of property tax rates.

The background of the legal action is as follows:

In October 2017, exactly seven years ago, the NBU was invited to address a residents' meeting in Reddersburg about what residents could do to address the decline in service delivery.

Our proposal was that the residents declare disputes over unpromulgated property taxes. The Koster case was still ongoing, and at that stage, we could not yet present a court order on the legality of the disputes, although we were convinced that we would win the case. As you all may know, the Koster ruling was in our favor on February 8, 2018.

After the Koster ruling confirmed the legality of reclaiming the unpromulgated property taxes, it took another ten months to convince the residents of Reddersburg that this was the only way to counteract the town's decline.

In January 2019, the RBBU began declaring disputes, and the residents paid their funds to the RBBU instead of the municipality. This made funds available to the residents, and they could start repairing potholes, unblocking sewer blockages, cleaning up garbage, maintaining the cemetery, monitoring the landfill, cutting grass, painting curbs, etc.

Initially, it was a struggle to convince residents that this was a legal and effective way to proceed and to gain the support of the entire community. A few years ago, the municipal garbage removal collapsed, and the RBBU could also provide the service more effectively and cost-efficiently.

It also became a way to gently force the fence-sitters and apathetic residents to participate in the RBBU activities by not removing the garbage of non-participants, making it clear who the non-participants were. Currently, there is 90-95% participation in the RBBU's actions.

At the beginning, it was also a struggle to collect enough money each month to finance the service delivery and maintenance, but gradually it started to improve financially, and today the RBBU has several hundred thousand Rand in the bank, while the municipality cannot pay its workers.

The local neighborhood watch and the RBBU have also started to cooperate more and more, to the extent that there is full cooperation today, and the town is well secured with cameras in strategic places.

However, last Wednesday, the municipal officials decided to cut off the water supply to two businesses due to outstanding municipal accounts. At the same time, the municipal officials encouraged hotheads in the black residential area to break shop windows.

The neighborhood watch, with the help of the cameras, was able to apprehend the culprits, and they are currently in jail with criminal charges against them. The law will still have to take its course.
On Thursday morning, Adv. Greeff was asked to bring an urgent application in the Bloemfontein High Court, and the case was on the roll yesterday. The ruling speaks for itself.

Today, Reddersburg is a clean, neat town with proper service delivery as it was before 1994, and there is a high demand for houses as many people from Bloemfontein and surrounding towns want to live in a clean, neat town.

Regards,

Jaap Kelder