The City of Johannesburg’s electronic billing platform has collapsed once again, plunging the local property market into fresh uncertainty and bringing property transfers across the metro to an effective standstill.
The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) manages approximately 1.5 million municipal accounts. According to managing director of Ngcobo SN INC, Sanelisiwe Ngcobo, the outage has left payments unallocated, billing data unavailable, and made it impossible to generate clearance documentation required for transfers.
“It’s just a nightmare,” Ngcobo said. Homeowners who purchased properties in the last six months or so are unable to open rates accounts. Sellers who have already sold properties are waiting for refunds from the City that are not being processed. Transactions are routinely delayed because accurate rates figures cannot be obtained on time, leaving clients frustrated and conveyancers fielding complaints.
Ngcobo, whose firm has assisted affected residents, described daily challenges for conveyancers. Even when rates figures are eventually received and paid, new amounts sometimes appear days later, prompting sellers to react angrily. Many homeowners, including Ngcobo herself, have not received their rates bills this year.
The situation is particularly acute for sectional title complexes with over 100 units. Without bills, bodies corporate risk becoming insolvent despite residents wanting to pay, Ngcobo warned.
The collapse follows what appeared to be relative stability about six months ago. The City typically conducts an annual audit, and last year’s process allowed it to catch up with backlogs. However, it is unclear whether the current failure resulted from a crash, changes in standard operating procedures, or other factors. No official communication has been issued to homeowners or conveyancers explaining the issues, steps being taken to resolve them, or expected timelines for recovery.
Ngcobo noted that around 70% of her firm’s transactions involving Johannesburg properties are delayed due to billing discrepancies or fluctuating figures. Buyers cannot accurately estimate rates without reliable data, while the lack of clearance certificates halts the entire transfer process.
Disputing inflated or erroneous bills once the system stabilises presents further difficulties. Residents risk receiving disconnection threats, attorney demands, and additional charges. The dispute process is arduous, often requiring stamina to queue at municipal offices or engage rates consultants — specialists who charge fees to navigate long, unpredictable lines that close at 4pm.
“People are wanting to pay,” Ngcobo emphasised. Her advice to those affected is to pay something towards their accounts as a protective measure while awaiting resolution, especially new buyers who must open rates accounts promptly to avoid falling into arrears months later.
She highlighted the emotional and financial stress on busy professionals, young homeowners, and elderly residents, many of whom simply pay disputed amounts rather than fight the system due to lack of time and resources. Legal proceedings against the metro could be considered but are costly and may divert City employees from cooperative problem-solving.
Ngcobo called on the City of Johannesburg to engage publicly, provide transparency on the problems and fix timelines, and work more delicately with residents and conveyancers. “We’re hoping that the City of Johannesburg will actually join us on air as well and get to the bottom of this,” she said.
In the meantime, Ngcobo urged anyone facing property transfer issues, missing or incorrect bills, or conveyancing delays to engage attorneys or conveyancers early. “Home ownership is one of those blessings in life… do something while we all wait and hear what City of Johannesburg has in store for all of us, because all of us are affected.”