BOSA's Solomons wants Cape Town's property valuation cycle stretched to five years

Build One South Africa's Cape Town mayoral candidate Roger Solomons wants the City of Cape Town to extend its municipal property valuation cycle from three years to five, arguing the change would give homeowners greater certainty when budgeting for rates.

Solomons set out the proposal in a CapeTalk interview ahead of the 4 November local government elections, presenting it as one of the immediate steps he would take to ease pressure on homeowners. "Right now, every three years your house, your property gets evaluated and that obviously impacts the rates that you pay," he said. "By increasing it to five years at least allows you some form of peace of mind to be able to budget a bit better."

He also pledged a full audit of the cost of government, covering spending on consultants, procurement and information technology systems, so that savings could be redirected to services such as safety and transport before ratepayers are asked to pay more. Asked how much the city spends on consultants, Solomons said he did not yet have the figures but argued savings could be found, including in the city's vehicle fleet.

He proposed a performance dashboard for every ward so residents can see what has been budgeted for their area, how money is spent and what level of service to expect, presented in a form that does not require specialist knowledge of municipal documents.

On housing, Solomons called for an audit of the city's land and assets within 90 days, with findings made public, to establish what land is available for public use. He said the housing challenge goes beyond building more homes and is about "building communities closer to work opportunities and transport", citing disparities in services between areas such as Bishopscourt and Bishop Lavis. He also said BOSA opposed the proposed N2 wall, arguing the city should address the causes of crime rather than separate communities.