Lesedi residents spend R200k fighting disputed valuation roll as council approves budget

Lesedi residents have spent about R200,000 on legal fees to challenge a municipal valuation roll they say is inaccurate and unfair, after the municipality approved its 2026-27 draft budget while a court had set aside the valuation roll.

Budget approved amid legal dispute

According to The Citizen, the Lesedi local municipality approved the 2026-27 draft budget despite an ongoing legal dispute over the municipality’s 2024-29 general valuation roll. The valuation roll was declared invalid by the High Court in Johannesburg earlier this year, and the municipality has since sought leave to appeal the judgment.

Ratepayers’ complaint and costs

According to The Citizen, property owners and residents say councillors ignored the High Court ruling when they approved the budget. A resident, Bouwe Wiersma, told The Citizen that residents had spent about R200,000 on legal fees to challenge the valuation roll.

“It is frustrating as accountability is prevented and it would surely change when courts give personal cost orders against the officials guilty of bad administration decisions,” Wiersma said.

Wiersma also told The Citizen that the municipality was taking a financial risk by budgeting on the basis of a valuation roll the court had set aside. He warned that collection efforts could become difficult if property owners refused to pay rates based on disputed valuations and estimated the municipality could be exposing itself to potential revenue risks of over R46 million should the legal challenge succeed.

Political responses and unanswered questions

According to The Citizen, DA councillor Yvonne van Coller-Combrinck said the DA rejected the budget and that ANC majority members approved it. The councillor argued the budget appears funded on paper but is not sustainably funded, pointing to an assumed collection rate that the DA says has not been met historically.

According to The Citizen, the municipal spokesperson, Katleho Seaga, had not replied to questions at the time of publication.

What happens next

The Citizen reports the municipality has sought leave to appeal the High Court judgment. Residents continue to challenge the valuation roll in court, and questions remain about the financial implications for the municipality if the valuations are ultimately overturned.