View the City’s Valuation on your Property!

Most Johannesburg property owners and interested parties use the online system to view and/or object against the entries contained in the City of Johannesburg’s General Valuation Roll (GVR) 2023.

With an average of more than 3000 daily users on the GVR2023 online system, majority are those who have opted to use the system from the comfort of their homes or offices, rather than physically visit any of the selected 13 Customer Service Centres.

The City recently opened its Valuation Roll, inviting residents to view, inspect and/or object against any category or new property value. Residents and interested parties have the option to object by either using the online system or at any of the dedicated Customer Service Centres, where they will be assisted by the valuers.

Interested parties have until 31 March 2023 at 15:00 to object against any category or new values of their properties.

Kgamanyane Maphologela, the spokesperson for the City’s Group Finance Department says, since the online system has been opened, the City has noticed more people embracing the online system over the traditional walk-in customer service centres to log their objections.

“We have seen a spike in terms of the residents using the online system. We continue to urge our residents not to wait until it’s too late, to object to categories and new values of properties should they have the evidence to support their view,” says Maphologela.

According to Maphologela, on the 24 February 2023, a total of 3683 users were recorded on the day. Out of the total users, at least 877 objected to the new values of their properties online, while only 137 objected at the walk-in centres.

The GVR2023 Centre in the inner-city: Thuso House Customer Service Centre, 61 Jorissen Street (Region F only).

conducive to a crisis response.

“The Minister will be expected to facilitate the coordination of the numerous departments and entities involved in the crisis response, work with the Eskom leadership to turn around the performance of existing power stations, and accelerate the procurement of new generation capacity,” he said.

At the time of his appointment, Ramokgopa held the position of Head of the Investment and Infrastructure Office in the Presidency - a position he held since 2019.

The new Minister of Electricity in the Presidency will be empowered to carry out his duties through the transfer of certain powers and functions from the President in terms of the Constitution.

President Ramaphosa added that the new Minister will stay in office “for as long as it is necessary to resolve the electricity crisis”.

Before ascending to national government, Ramokgopa worked as the Member of Executive Committee (MEC) for Economic Development, Agriculture and Environment in Gauteng.

At local government level, Ramokgopa became one of the youngest mayors to head up a metropolitan municipality in South Africa when he took up the mayoral chains at the Tshwane municipality in 2010, holding that position for at least five years.

Ramokgopa was also the CEO of both the Metropolitan Trading Company and the Johannesburg Market and was Deputy Chairperson of the board of Trade and Investment in Limpopo.

He earned his Doctorate (PhD) in Public Affairs in 2019 with a dissertation titled: Leadership in establishing the Gauteng City-Region: the Case of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, a Master’s degree in Public Administration and a Master’s Degree in Business Leadership.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) brings to the attention of the public, the re-emergence of an impostor posing as the Chief Electoral Officer, Sy Mamabolo.

The IEC first became aware of the impostor in October 2022 and issued a public alert and reported to the matter to police for investigation. Indications of the South African Police Service are that investigations are still continuing. The activities of the imposter receded in December 2022 but have now resurfaced recently.

The impostor uses the cellphone number 084 577 9791. The impostor appears very active on WhatsApp wherein he or she is conversing with unsuspecting professional contacts and acquaintances of the Chief Electoral Officer. The WhatsApp account linked to the 084 577 9791 bears the photographs of the Chief Electoral Officer. These pho- tographs are easily accessible from news sites and publications on the internet.

“Members of the public are encouraged to contact the police should they encounter anyone claiming to be the Chief Electoral Officer. Furthermore, members of the public are also urged to contact the Commission to verify any information,” the IEC spokespersonm Kate Bapela explains.

The Commission strongly condemns the impersonation of the Chief Electoral Officer as this is damaging to the reputation of the institution, a feat we can least afford as we scale up the preparations for the 2024 National and Provincial Elections.

“We urge the South African Police Service to intensify the investigation and apprehend the culprit as his or her criminal conduct undermines electoral democratic processes of the country and the Commission as a foremost election management body on the African continent,” said Bapela.

“The Gauteng Department of Social Development has given school uniform to more than 2 million vulnerable children in the last ten years, through the Gauteng Provincial Government Bana Pele programs,” writes Teddy Gomba

The Gauteng Provincial Government embarked in the program of school uniforms to give less fortunate children a start so that they are inspired and one day become, to name a few, engineers, accountants, artisans, and technicians.

Among its many uses, the uniform serves to standardise children wear in schools and concealing their economic background and class. The financial situations of some families are so dire that a decent uniform is considered a luxury.

Gauteng Government’s efforts are aimed at ensuring that the child can receive free education, from the Department of Basic Education, free health care from the Department of Health as well as scholar transport from the Department of Transport and school nutrition.

All these are made possible through the Bana Pele program, aimed at children on the support grant database as well as orphaned and vulnerable children.

Each year the Gauteng Department of Social Development rolls out school distribution.

This year the department will be handing out 200 000 school uniforms. Each contains a pair of shoes, a pair of socks, a pack of underwear, a vest, a jersey, a skirt, a shirt, a tunic, and a dungaree depending on the gender of the child and type.

Through this program, the government also strives to achieve the vision set out in the constitution with regard to appropriate care, and the provision of basic education.

Due to South Africa’s long history of oppression and generational repercussions, the government has a mammoth task in restoring dignity to those who find themselves in poverty.

Government does not only give them school uniforms, but also provided dignity packs that contain sanitary pads, toothpaste, body lotion, toilet roll, and bath soaps. As we all know and acknowledge that adolescents come with new hygiene complications.

If these issues are not dealt with this may affect learners’ self-esteem and their progress as they will be compelled to skip school when on menstrual periods or do not have proper toiletries.

The Gauteng Department of Social Development distributes 196 796 dignity packs to 1320 throughout the province and plans to distribute 1 180 776 by end of March next year.

There sewing of school uniforms and manufacturing are done by unemployed women that had come together into cooperatives to produce the goods, thus creating employment for them. This confirms the saying that it takes a village to raise a child.

Indeed, Gauteng Government continues to put the needs of children first by responding with socio-economic interventions that seek to ensure that all children are given equal learning opportunities despite their family backgrounds and fulfilling a constitutional obligation on children’s right to quality, safe and equitable education.

Teddy Gomba works for Gauteng Social Development