Joburg undertakes to solve water meter backlog Joburg Water(JW) has launched a new project that will replace customer meters to address the backlog in faulty meters. JW has appointed seven contractors - Bluestone Trench Technologies, FA Civils, Letswamotse Civil Engineering, Mapitsi Civil Works, Sakhile Projects, S Monamodi and Daughter and Sydwell Shabangu … [Read more...]

Joburg council responds to Bosmont residents' water complaints The problem of rising water in the Bosmont area is to be investigated at last, thanks to the intervention of Metrowatch. A house in Bosmont. Residents say their properties are losing value because of the water levels. Residents have been complaining for years that the area is waterlogged, with … [Read more...]

Property rezoning paves way for Cape foreshore redevelopment The DA used its majority in the Western Cape provincial legislature to approve redevelopment of piece of land adjacent to Artscape Theatre on the Foreshore without stipulating exactly what the redevelopment would be. The ANC opposed this approval and said the title deed of the erf, known as … [Read more...]

Cape Town experts trash R140bn mini-city property development The rationale behind the proposed development of R140 billion mini city Wescape has failed to convince civil society groups and seasoned academics, with some saying not much consideration has been given to the safety and security of residents who may live there. At a discussion this week about the … [Read more...]

SA properties getting smaller The latest available building statistics from Stats SA show that more new homes are being built - but that they are getting smaller. "On an annualised basis, the total value of new residential buildings completed rose 25% in January and February, while the value of building plans passed for new homes rose 20,5%," notes Rudi … [Read more...]

Cape Town church loses its historic railings, bit by bit "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest... Leave them for the poor and the foreigner." - Leviticus 19:9-10. So reads a sign in one of the vegetable pots bordering the Central Methodist Mission Church in the city … [Read more...]

Pretoria's Riviera residents angry over 'empty promises' Residents of Melgisedek complex in Riviera have claimed that Tshwane Metro Council "illegally" cut off their electricity. Uncollected refuse at Melgisedek building on the corner of Steve Biko (Beatrix) and Annie Botha Streets. The complex - formerly home to Melgisedek Christian Centre on the corner … [Read more...]

Landlord rental income protection With the constant flow of tenants entering the rental market, it is not very hard for a landlord to find someone who is willing to rent their property. However, just because the tenant is willing to rent the property, doesn't mean they should, says Jerry van der Merwe, Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Proprentors, whose offices … [Read more...]

EAAB's intern monitoring system almost 'unworkable' The latest figures from South Africa's Estate Agency Affairs Board show that currently only 32,718 estate agents are still working in the formal recognized sector of the industry. Of these, 10,373 are now fully qualified agency principals, 12,162 are full status (i.e. fully qualified) estate agents and … [Read more...]

Maboneng returns residents to Joburg city centre The development of the Maboneng Precinct, an ambitious private property development in the Johannesburg city centre that it is expected to be home to about 3 000 people within the next five years, is gaining momentum. Maboneng Precinct on the eastern edge of Johannesburg's inner city is taking off as a … [Read more...]

Joburg inner city benefits from state, private sector collaboration The long-standing commitment of the Gauteng provincial government to inner city restructuring and regeneration is beginning to deliver returns for the people and economy of the province, and could serve as a valuable example for other major city centre rejuvenation projects across the … [Read more...]

Tshwane residents campaign to save wetland from park-and-ride facility The Friends of Colbyn Valley (FCV) have reiterated their call to the Tshwane Metro Council to seek an alternative site for the proposed park-and-ride facility. The proposed facility is part of the municipality's plans to turn Hatfield into a car-free zone. The organisation - which was … [Read more...]

Wescape property development 'will be disaster' for Cape Town Urban planning academic Vanessa Watson has slated the proposed R140 billion mini-city Wescape development - calling it a "disaster" for Cape Town. Should it get the nod, Wescape will be on land between Atlantis and the city and include 200 000 houses for about 800 000 people, schools, a university … [Read more...]

Wild Coast toll plan surprise After 13 years of controversy, the N2 Wild Coast toll-road saga has taken another surprise turn - with reports that no new toll plazas will be built in Durban or anywhere else in KwaZulu-Natal, in order to finance the proposed R4 billion project. Provincial Transport MEC Willies Mchunu announced yesterday that Sanral had agreed … [Read more...]

Durban to get another 'spaghetti junction' The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has revealed plans for a R816 million project to ease congestion at the N2/M41 Mount Edgecombe interchange which links the Phoenix Highway to the Gateway node in Umhlanga. The project would be jointly funded by Sanral and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and … [Read more...]