Department announces new Tribunal members

Housing MEC Ms Nomvula Mokonyane has announced new members to serve on the Gauteng Rental Tribunal during a function held at Rosebank's Hyatt Hotel.

Also gracing the occasion were the department's H.O.D Ms Bennedicta Monama, MEC for Local Government Ms Qedani Mahlangu, members of the housing committee the Rev Motlalepule Chabaku and Mr Sipho Mkhize.

The newly appointed members Mr. Trevor Bailey (Chairperso), Ms. Maleho Margaret Daisy Nkomo (Deputy Chairperson), Ms. Dombolo Makgomo Masilela (Member), Ms. Refiloe Msiza (Member), Ms. Penelope Anne Beck (Member), Mr. Thabo Zacharia Morabe (Alternate Member), and Mr. Motshubi Jake Letsapa (Alternate Member) - are replacing previous members who have been serving in the tribunal for the past three years.

The Tribunal was established in 2001 under chapter 4 of the Rental Housing Act of 1999 to mediate dispute between tenants and landlords. In the last six years the Rental Housing Tribunal has handled cases including among others unfair evictions, non-payment of rent, maintenance, deposits, damage to property, service and lease agreements.

Outgoing chairperson of the Tribunal Mr. Yusuf Wadee pointed out that it must be recorded that a number of "our peer tribunals have consulted and sought our guidance on the setting up and functioning of their respective tribunals".

Mr. Wadee continued: "our achievements have received recognition in the form of an Impumelelo Award and recently having received the Premier's Service Excellence Award ".

Of the award the assessor commented thus: "the work of the Gauteng Rental housing Tribunal is a first for South Africa and it constitutes a public sector innovation whose main efforts are directed at improving the lot of lower-income tenants for the large part those dwellings in multi-storey apartment blocks that have been allowed to run down. It has set up its own system de novo and is developing a set of precedents and procedures that other provinces can follow".

In welcoming the new members MEC Mokonyane said since its inception six years ago now, Tribunal has laboured tirelessly with the unselfish help of its previous members including the outgoing members to try and normalise relations between landlord and tenant.

"And over the years experience has demonstrated there is need for such an organisation to either deal or mediate as and when such a need arises between these two parties (landlord and tenant)."

Since the inception of the Tribunal in July 2001 up to the end of January 2007, 4 815 complaints have been registered and 4 305 (90%) cumulative cases have been closed at both informal and mediation level. The majority of these cases are registered with the City of Johannesburg : 4168 (86.5%) . It is the followed by Ekurhuleni Delivery Centres: 332 (6.9%), City of Tshwane 170 (3.5%), Others 145 (3.1%).

Regarding the City of Johannesburg , the bulk of complaints are from Region 8 registering 2230 (53.5%), followed by Region 9 - 695 (16.7%) and Region 3- 429 (10.3%), others 8 Regions - 814 (19.5%).