“A Stark Reminder”: Questions Swirl Over Lesedi Mayor’s “Undervalued” R3.5m Home

A quiet, upmarket street in Berg En Dal, Heidelberg, has become the centre of a growing controversy in the Lesedi Local Municipality, where residents are raising sharp questions about the valuation of Mayor Mluleki Nkosi’s double-storey family home. Property owners allege the home, which they estimate is worth around R3.5 million, remains listed on the municipal valuation roll at just R800,000a figure that hasn’t been updated since he bought the vacant land for R640,000 in 2019.

According to residents who spoke anonymously, Nkosi purchased the 2,065m² erf in cash five years ago and built a substantial double-storey house with double garages and extensive paving. “The stand only was purchased for R640,000… has since been improved and he moved into the house in 2024. But the property is still valued… at R800,000 while the market value would be closer to R3.5 million,” one resident stated.

A Broader Battle Over the Valuation Roll

The allegations emerge as the municipality’s entire 2024-2029 general valuation roll faces a legal challenge currently awaiting judgment in the Johannesburg High Court. Property owners have taken the municipality to court, arguing the roll was implemented illegally. In a controversial move just weeks before the hearing, Gauteng Cogta MEC Jacob Mamabolo issued a letter retroactively condoning the municipality’s failure to follow due processa decision that has further angered residents footing the legal bill.

“Surely this raises questions and concerns about property values and preferential treatment,” another resident remarked, suggesting the mayor’s stagnant valuation is symptomatic of a flawed system.

A History of Wasteful Mayor Housing Projects

This is not the first time mayoral housing has sparked outrage in Lesedi. Residents point to an abandoned, incomplete house built for former mayor Lerato Maloka in Bergsig, on which over R1.8 million was spent before the project was scrapped. Local lawyer Bouwe Wiersma called the derelict structure “a stark reminder of how wasteful expenditure was approved by council members loyal to their mayor.”

Mayor Nkosi referred questions to the municipal manager, who had not responded by the time of publication. As the community awaits the High Court’s ruling on the validity of the valuation roll that shapes their rates bills, the mayor’s own property valuation stands as a potent symbol of the transparency and equity questions plaguing the municipality. For residents, it’s a simple equation: if a R3.5 million home is valued at R800,000, who is ultimately paying the difference?