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IOL News
13 hours ago
- Business
- IOL News
Gauteng High Court denies Johannesburg's appeal on educational property rates
The Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, which earlier declared the city's steep property rates regarding properties owned by independent schools unconstitutional, refused the city permission to appeal against the ruling. Image: File THE Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, has turned down an application by the City of Johannesburg following the court's earlier declaration that the municipality's rates policy is unlawful and constitutionally invalid to the extent that it regulated the categorisation and rating of educational properties. The ruling issued by the court earlier this year follows the city's removal of a property category that applied to educational institutions, and adopted a property rates by-law and policy that categorised private schools as public enterprises. This led to a drastic increase in property rates and taxes for private schools and other educational institutions. Various stakeholders, including Curro Holdings, the Independent Schools Association of South Africa, and AfriForum, launched the application following the drastic school rate increase. The court found that the city's public participation process in adopting the 2023/2024 property rates policy was inadequate and did not meet constitutional and statutory requirements. It further found that the metro failed to meaningfully consult with stakeholders, including independent schools, ignored the best interests of scholars, and thereby violated the Constitution. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Aggrieved by this ruling, the city now asked the court for leave to appeal against it. The city argued that this court erred on the facts and the law in its findings. It especially disagreed with the finding in which the court held that the city's public participation process, which led to the adoption of the city's 2023/2024 rates policy, rates by-law, and the city's budget to the inclusion of educational property under the 'Business and Commercial' category, was a 'sham'. Judge Phaneul Mudau, in the application for leave to appeal, remarked that his court had the benefit of reviewing the full record of the city's consultation process (or lack thereof) and made specific findings on how and why it fell short. This court noted, by way of example, that the city's response to public submissions does not engage at all with submissions made by members of the public. The city, in this instance, failed to identify any misdirection by this court, nor any material factual evidence that was overlooked, the judge said. He added that it is, therefore, unlikely that another court would have a different view of the city's inadequacies regarding the public participation process embarked upon. 'As Curro correctly pointed out, the city's disagreement with this court's factual appraisal of the consultation process does not translate into a bona fide prospect of success on appeal,' the judge said. The city also argued that the court erred in finding that 'the city failed to consider the best interests of the children that attend independent schools when it decided to re-categorise private educational properties'. But, Judge Mudau said, this criticism is without any foundation. He said the city failed to consider the best interests of the child in its decision to unlawfully categorise independent schools as 'business and commercial' properties without adequate prior consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
News24
06-06-2025
- Politics
- News24
Starlink users cut off; Taraji P. Henson speaks to us: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top 7 stories of the day. Graphic: Sharlene Rood News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. Chelsea Ogilvie/News24 Cape Town politician off to prison as procedural blunder gave him another day of freedom - Mehmet Vefa Dag, a politician found in contempt of court for defaming Curro Holdings, was briefly released after surrendering due to administrative errors. - Curro Holdings' legal team addressed the confusion with officials, and Dag was later taken into custody and transported to Pollsmoor prison. - The case stems from Dag's defamatory social media posts linking Curro to child pornography and rape, leading to a court order for his imprisonment and restrictions on future statements. Trump didn't just backtrack on 'white genocide' after Musk spat - viral tweet is fake - A screenshot circulating on X falsely claims Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that there is no 'white genocide' in South Africa. - There is no evidence the post is real, as it doesn't appear on Trump's verified account or in archives, and has formatting inconsistencies. - The claim plays on tensions between Trump and Elon Musk, and the user who shared it did not clarify its authenticity, fuelling engagement. 'Impractical and even sadistic': Why Gayton McKenzie thinks ministers must fly business class - Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie has spent R4.8 million on international travel for himself and his staff since July of last year, justifying business class flights for long-haul trips. - McKenzie defended the travel expenses by stating that international travel is essential for ministers to engage in cooperation treaties and attract events like Formula One, and that ministers need to be effective and avoid illness. - ActionSA criticised the spending, highlighting a R164 000 payment for a trip to Burkina Faso that never took place, and has introduced a bill to reduce ministerial perks and restore fiscal discipline. Gallo Images/Darren Stewart Teacher fired for allegedly awarding marks to pupils based on their 'body shape' - Lindokuhle Siwela, a teacher at Kensington High School, was dismissed for gross misconduct after multiple allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching of Grade 8 pupils. - An arbitrator found Siwela guilty of contravening the Employment of Educators Act, citing consistent and credible testimonies from pupils detailing incidents of sexual harassment, inappropriate comments, and biased grading practices. - The arbitrator declared Siwela unsuitable to work with children and ordered his name to be added to the Child Protection Register, a decision welcomed by the Gauteng Department of Education. SpaceX cuts off illegal Starlink users in SA following Icasa warning - SpaceX has begun suspending Starlink services for users in South Africa due to illegal usage, following a warning from the country's communications regulator, Icasa. - Icasa stated that Starlink's operation in South Africa is illegal because the company has not applied for the necessary communications licence, which requires a 30% BEE ownership. - Some individuals and companies have been exploiting loopholes, such as using roaming packages from licensed countries, to access Starlink in South Africa, leading to the current crackdown. Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images Sudden try sprees make these Bulls their sharpest URC vintage yet - The Bulls have been in incredible try-scoring form at home recently, pressing 30 tries in their last four Loftus matches, making them favorites for their URC semi-final against the Sharks. - Despite the Sharks winning their previous encounter this season, key attack-related factors, including the Bulls' devastating home try-scoring record and ability to change gears offensively, favor the Bulls. - Bulls' backline players like David Kriel, who was surprisingly shunned by the Springboks, are in excellent form and could be key to their success, while the Sharks' backline has struggled for attacking flair recently. 'I wanted people to see her': Taraji P. Henson on emotional role in Tyler Perry's Straw - Taraji P. Henson stars in Tyler Perry's 'Straw' as Janiyah, a single mother pushed to her limit, a role Henson deeply connected with due to her own experiences as a single mother. - Henson and Perry hope the film inspires empathy and understanding for single mothers and marginalised women, highlighting their struggles and the need to be seen and heard. - Perry wrote the film to pay homage to unseen women and highlight the financial challenges of poverty, aiming to foster empathy in viewers towards struggling single mothers. Show Comments ()
