The Tshwane Metro appointed an external valuer at a cost of R10 000 to value a 53 m² property in Clubview, Pretoria, while the land itself is worth only R5 600. The valuation costs almost twice as much as the property.
It may not be a large amount, but it is a shining example of the blatant squandering of taxpayers’ money. In addition, professional officials from two of the Metro’s internal departments had already valued the property, so there was no need to appoint an external valuer.
A responsible Council should not approve such needless expenditure. The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) raised serious concerns about whether there are existing controls in place to prevent such squandering in the future.
This type of decision-making undermines residents’ confidence and damages the Council’s integrity. One cannot help but wonder why it was approved in the first place.
The Freedom Front Plus formally recorded a dissenting vote as a matter of principle to take a strong stand against the squandering of public funds.
