eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba 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.
Image: File
As Durban grapples with land invasions and the hijacking of properties, eThekwini Municipality mayor Cyril Xaba, is seeking a meeting with Minister of Justice, Mamoloko Kubayi, to call for the establishment of special courts to address the crimes.
The municipality said in a statement that the minister had agreed to meet with the mayor to discuss the matter. Xaba has also directed the City Manager to establish a team that will consolidate a formal proposal to the Minister.
The mayor said there is 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.
Xaba said financial constraints left many property owners unable to seek legal recourse when their land is invaded or property is hijacked.
“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.
To tackle the issues that come with deceased estates, the municipality said 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 debt must have been 24 months old 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.
For more stories from The Mercury, click the link THE MERCURY