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over unpaid rentals with a Tshabalala family yesterday saying the council had attached its property worth more than $1 000 over a $300 debt.
In an interview at his home yesterday, Mr Absalom Ncube of House Number 65122 Tshabalala Extension, who was close to tears, said some of the property attached belonged to his tenants.
He said the council had given him up to Friday to settle the bill before it auctions the property.
“A four-piece lounge suite belonging to my family valued at $500 and a deep freezer belonging to my tenant worth $500 was taken,” said Mr Ncube.
He said he was shocked when an eight-man team stormed his home at about 2pm when he was at the shops and started taking his lounge suite and the tenant’s deepfreezer.
“They came here at around 2pm. I was called by one of the lodgers that people were removing property from my house.
“They served me with a notice of seizure dated 4 April,” said Mr Ncube.
The development comes at a time when the city council has intensified its blitz on defaulters in a bid to recover about $60 million owed to it in unpaid rentals.
Mr Ncube said a week ago council officials came to his house to inspect his property and they identified the lounge suite and the tenant’s deep freezer.
“On Monday last week, council officials came here to remind me about our debt of $300. They requested to inspect the property to be attached,” he said.
Mr Ncube said he had not been working for the past three years after being employed for 23 years and could not stomach the fact that his property would be sold for a song.
“I’m not able to pay my rentals because I have not been working for the past three years. I worked for 23 years and accumulated a lot of property but council comes and takes my lounge suite. They threatened to come back and take the television set,” said Mr Ncube.
His tenant, Mr Phanankosi Nkala, said he did not understand how the city council could attach his property for his landlord’s debt.
He said council officials had told him that his deep freezer, valued at $500 would be given back to him if Mr Ncube paid the $300.
“My deep freezer was taken and I was told if I wanted it then I should hope my landlord pays the debt before Friday,” said Mr Nkala.
The council’s senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, has been quoted in the media, saying the council had no option but to auction the attached property to
recover its money if defaulters do nothing about their debt.
The development has, however, sparked an outcry from residents who feel the council is being too harsh on them.
Others contend that the method was not being administered in a transparent manner, as they felt cheated.
The residents also argue that the city council was taking their valuable property to sell it for peanuts while some say the issue of property attachments had not been clearly communicated to them.
Last week the council went ahead with its second controversial auctioning of property belonging to 16 defaulting residents with Mayor Thaba Moyo claiming that he had no knowledge of the public sale.
Online Reporter