Pretoria - The City of Tshwane has dispelled claims that its mounting backlog of rates clearance certificates for residents waiting to relocate into newly-purchased houses dated back to last year.
City spokesperson Selby Bokaba dismissed resident Lerato Bambo's claims as untrue, saying the backlog was a result of the Covid-19 lockdown.
Bambo told the Pretoria News she was unable to move into a property she bought in Equestria in May because the City has been delaying processing her rates clearance certificate for more than two months. Bambo also claimed the backlog of rates clearance certificates at the City dated back to last year.
Bokaba said: “A clearance memo is only valid for 30 days after date of issue. If it is not paid within this 30 days, the clearance memo is no longer valid and a certificate will not be issued on this transaction. The attorney then needs to re-apply for new figures.”
Regarding the City’s plan to address the backlog, Bokaba said: “Capacity has increased from 13 to 20 officials working from home; overtime is approved. The time frame for the clearance memo is seven working days and a clearance certificate is three working days from date of payment. It was updated on to the SAP billing system, but they are currently not being issued within agreed upon time frames due to the backlog caused by the lockdown.”
He could not comment on Bambo's specific case, despite Bambo having said she sent several emails and calls to the City. Bambo has created a petition, which has reached more than 100 signatures of people in the same predicament, and sought legal advice.
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Pretoria News