Not yet clear if money paid towards prior homeowner’s debt will be refunded
It is unclear whether municipalities in the City of Tshwane and Johannesburg will be prepared to pay back funds paid by homeowners towards previous homeowners’ debt. This is after the Constitutional Court upheld an order that new owners should not be inheriting the municipal debt of their predecessors. Addressing a media conference in Johannesburg shortly after the ruling was delivered‚ Tshwane mayor Solly Msimanga said they were yet to study the order and pave a way forward. The Constitutional Court declared that upon transfer of a property‚ a new owner is not liable for previous debts under section 118(3) of the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act. "We now have clarity on the matter‚" Msimanga said. On Tuesday, one Johannesburg couple said they were forced to pay R206‚000 of an erroneous municipal account dating back to 2010. The couple said they had since been sent from pillar to post‚ trying to recoup the funds.
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