Month: July 2017

IS EK REGTIG VERANTWOORDELIK VIR DIE MUNISIPALE SKULD VAN ‘N VORIGE EIENAAR?

“’n Paar maande gelede het ek ‘n huis gekoop. Die munisipaliteit het ‘n uitklaringsertifikaat aan die verkoper uitgereik en die eiendom is oorgedra op my naam. Toe ek onlangs by die munisipaliteit navraag doen oor ‘n hoë waterrekening, het die munisipaliteit gesê daar is steeds groot agterstallige skulde teen die eiendom en dat, tensy ek betaal, hulle stappe teen my sal neem om dit te verhaal, en selfs my eiendom kan verkoop indien nodig. Dit kan sekerlik nie wettig wees nie?”

Artikel 118 van die Wet op Munisipale Stelsels (“die Wet”) is ‘n bron van bekommernis vir huiseienaars, aangesien hierdie artikel en spesifiek Artikel 118(3) daarvan gesien word om ‘n munisipaliteit te magtig om ‘n nuwe huiseienaar verantwoordelik te hou vir die agterstallige munisipale skulde van ‘n vorige eienaar.

Volgens Artikel 118(1) van die Wet, mag ‘n eiendom nie oorgedra word tensy ‘n uitklaringsertifikaat deur die munisipaliteit waar die eiendom geleë is, uitgereik is nie. Die sertifikaat moet sertifiseer dat alle bedrae verskuldig aan die munisipaliteit in die twee jaar voor die datum van aansoek vir die sertifikaat ten opsigte van munisipale diensfooie, bybetalings op fooie, tariewe en ander munisipale belastings en heffings (“munisipale fooie”) ten volle betaal is. Dié artikel sê egter niks oor historiese skulde ouer as twee jaar nie.

Volgens Artikel 118(3) is uitstaande munisipale fooie ‘n las teen die eiendom wat voorkeur kry bo enige verband wat teen die eiendom geregistreer is en sodoende sekuriteit vir die munisipaliteit verskaf vir die betaling van uitstaande skulde. Geen tydsbeperking word aan hierdie maatreël gekoppel nie en dit maak nie saak wanneer die versekerde skuld ontstaan het nie. Dit kan skuld insluit wat tot 30 jaar oud is (vir heffings, vullis- en rioolkostes) asook skulde tot drie jaar oud vir elektrisiteit en water, insluitend ook die skulde van meer as een vorige eienaar, met alles beskerm deur Artikel 118(3) tot voordeel van die munisipaliteit.

Wat die konsternasie veroorsaak is wanneer ‘n nuwe (onskuldige) eienaar nou verantwoordelik gehou word vir munisipale skuld ouer as twee jaar wat aangegaan is deur vorige eienaars. Hier het die nuwe eienaar geen kennis van die agterstallige skuld of die wete dat die munisipaliteit, soos in jou geval, die nuwe eienaar mag verantwoordelik hou vir die agterstallige skuld van iemand anders nie. Die nuwe eienaar word onverhoeds betrap, veral gesiene die uitklaringsertifikaat wat uitgereik is en die indruk geskep het (selfs al is dit nie wetlik korrek nie) dat alle munisipale skulde deur die verkoper vereffen is.

Ons Hoogste Hof van Appèl het onlangs bevestig dat ‘n uitklaringsertifikaat nie beteken dat daar geen verdere munispale skuld aan ‘n eiendom gekoppel is nie. Ons howe het ook bevestig dat as die verkoper of vorige verkoper nie in staat is om te betaal nie of nie opgespoor kan word nie, die koper of nuwe eienaar aanspreeklik gehou sal word vir hierdie skuld, wat in ekstreme gevalle selfs die munisipaliteit in staat stel om dié eiendom te verkoop om die agterstallige skuld te vereffen. Hierdie reg (of hipoteek) van die munisipalitet oor die eiendom soos bepaal deur Artikel 118(3) oorleef dan enige vorm van eiendomsoordrag sonder enige uitsondering.

Gebaseer op hierdie hofbesluit, laat dit moontlik ‘n nuwe eienaar kwesbaar vir die munisipaliteit om sy regte oor die eiendom af te dwing, en selfs so ver te gaan as om water- en elektrisiteitstoevoer te ontkoppel en die nuwe eienaar so te dwing om agterstallige munispale skuld te vereffen.

Ons howe het egter nog nie geleentheid gehad om die grondwetlikheid van Artikel 118 van die Wet te toets nie, en ons siening is dat daar moontlik grondwetlike gronde kan wees om die regverdigheid van die huidige interpretasie van Artikel 118(3), asook munisipaliteite se toepassing daarvan, te toets.

Ons beveel dus aan dat sou die munisipaliteit voortgaan om jou verantwoordelik te hou vir die vereffening van ‘n vorige eienaar se agterstallige munisipale skuld of jou munisipale dienste wil ontkoppel, jy dadelik ‘n prokureur om hulp nader.

Oosthuizen, Marais & Pretorius Inc.
-044 601 6900

LIFE… with Elsa- Why think about enhancing your business with NLP?

Why have a positive mind-set?

We all know we should have a positive mind-set, but how many of us actually succeed in keeping it?
The first negative conversation / news article / comment steal our joy in mere seconds!

Why do we tend to follow the masses into the trap of believing that negativity is okay? The influence a negative mind-set has is severe and totally underestimated. Feeling ups and downs regularly, not having enough energy, thinking negative punishing thoughts, are only a few examples of the consequences of a negative mind-set.

It’s time to take responsibility for our own lives by taking responsibility of our mind-sets.

What are the benefits of having a positive mind-set?
– A positive outlook results in a problem-solving-attitude during tough times
– Energy to find the silver lining every day
– Attracting more positive things into your life
– Experiencing more joy, peace, hope, love and freedom.
– Influencing those around you to also be positive, etc.

When we have a positive mind-set, our unconscious mind is working from a positive flow of energy. This results in being more focused, productive and motivated. It also improves patience and compassion towards others which results in better leadership skills.

Would you like to keep a positive mind-set?

Sign up for the FREE email course:
7 Steps To Keeping A Positive Mind-set.
At this website;
https://www.takealeapcoaching.com/online-courses

 

ADT SECURITY TIPS

 

Accurate and detailed descriptions of criminals can go a long way towards securing their arrest.

“Security companies and law enforcement agencies need to have an accurate description of the suspect to assist them in tracking down the perpetrator,” says Peter Kruger, district manager (Coastal Outlying Branches) for Fidelity ADT.

The most important things to remember, says Kruger, are the following:

• If you become the victim of a crime, don’t make direct eye contact with the perpetrator;

• Make mental notes of what the person was wearing, and be as precise as possible. This includes logos, colours, and any other distinguishing marks;

• Was there anything striking about the way the person spoke? Did he/she speak with a lisp, or with an accent?

• Do you recall any distinguishing facial features, tattoos or scars?

• If there was a getaway vehicle involved, what make / model / colour was it? Did you see the number plates or any other distinguishing features such as mag-wheels or scratch marks?

Once you have all this information you are then in a much better position to write a police report which is usually completed by either the victim or a witness.
The following points are important when writing your report and can do much to assist the police in apprehending the suspects:

• Include as much detail as possible: You will need to include as much of the detail you observed above in the report so as to make it credible and helpful to police officers during their investigation. Kruger says it is important to take your time to make a mental list of all the points so no detail is left out.

• Make notes as soon as possible: If you are a witness to a crime, you will need to make notes about what you saw. Do this as soon as possible after the crime happened so that you won’t forget or mix up any important details. Studies have revealed that our memories of events change with time and can become distorted if not written down immediately.

• Remember events in sequence: Take your time to recall the sequence of events during a crime as these can greatly assist the investigation.

• Get a police report form: If you are a crime victim or witness, chances are that you are not used to writing police reports, and so you may not have an idea of how to write one. In this case, visit the nearest police department or use the internet to find out how to fill in and file a police report. After implementing the tips above, you can start writing your report. Alternatively fill out the report given to you at your police station in a logical and legible format.

“Remember you need to start your report by describing the crime scene. Use concrete and descriptive words that will help the police have a clear picture of what you are describing and include all details such as the address of the crime scene, evidences of the crime, and the date and time of the crime. Then give a chronological narrative of what happened and explain everything you witnessed at the crime scene.”

“Becoming a victim of crime or even witnessing a crime is understandably a scary and traumatic experience, and your first instinct is not always to be calm and observant. It is important to bear in mind the above points can greatly assist law enforcement agencies in identifying the suspect and hopefully quickly putting them behind bars,” concludes Kruger.
Issued on behalf of Fidelity ADT

 

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BEACHED WHALE AT DIAZ STRAND

Pictured is a juvenile humpback whale that washed up at Dias beach, Mossel Bay, yesterday afternoon.

There was a collaborative effort between Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team and the NSRI Station 15 Mossel Bay to help the whale back into the ocean. Unfortunately the efforts were hindered by the sand bank and after trying twice over a period of a few hours, they had to stop for fear of damaging the whale, plus darkness was falling and human safety was a much greater issue.

During our examination of the whale following the rescue attempt, we discovered signs that it was unhealthy, such as a concave saddle, barnacles and its skin was coming off in places. We were advised that white sharks had been spotted chasing the whale into the shallows, which would only be the case if the sharks had calculated that the whale was unhealthy or dying. The whale also kept pointing its head to beach, suggesting it did not want to return to the sea.

A decision was made to give the whale a chance to return to the ocean overnight. When we returned to the whale at first light, it had not moved and by this point it was gargling, a sign of water in the lungs and difficulty with breathing. It was then decided that the whale was likely very sick, and euthanasia would be the next step (this could not be carried out before morning as it is highly dangerous to use explosives at night). The explosives used euthanised the whale instantly due to the shock waves. The reason for using explosives is because an injection is not as effective; it is difficult to get the correct position to inject into and there are also problems with pollution. We believe the best course of action was taken.

Immediately after the blast we tested cornea reflex, from which there was no reaction, so we could confirm that it died instantly. We then dissected area around the site of the explosives and discovered the cranium was crushed. SAPS (South African Police Services) bomb squad did a great job with the euthanasia and thankfully the whale wouldn’t have suffered from the blast.

We’re currently busy with dissection of the whale and will monitor area for shark activity.

A big thank you to the NSRI, SMART and SAPS for their efforts.

RETINALE LOSLATING

“Retinal detachment is the separation of the sensory retina from the retinal pigment epithelium.” Dis nou ‘n mondvol, maar beslis nie ‘n oogkondisie waarmee ons moet speel of sloer nie. Dit is ‘n baie komplekse oogsiekte / kondisie, maar kom ons hou dit eenvoudig.“Retinal detachment is the separation of the sensory retina from the retinal pigment epithelium.” Dis nou ‘n mondvol, maar beslis nie ‘n oogkondisie waarmee ons moet speel of sloer nie. Dit is ‘n baie komplekse oogsiekte / kondisie, maar kom ons hou dit eenvoudig.

Risiko faktore is as volg:1. Bysiendheid (miopie)2. Marfan sindroom3. Diabetes (veral diabetes retinopatie)4. Vaskulêre siektes5. Trauma aan die oog6. Inflammasie7. Ander degeneratiewe oogsiektes
Die hoogste risiko faktore is mense wat baie bysiende is asook mense met trauma aan die oog.
Simptome:1. “Floaters” of sg “tabacco dust”2. Flitsende ligte3. Skielike verandering van die sg. “floaters”4. Skielike radikale verlies van sig ( soms ‘n tipe gordyn wat voor die oog toe trek)

Dis baie belangrik om vining te reageer indien jy hierdie simptome ervaar. Die sukses van behandeling hang direk af van jou reaksie tyd. Jou sig behoort volledig herstel te kan word deur na die regte professionele persoon verwys te word en dan vervolgens behandel te word. Dus is dit baie belangrik om gereeld jou visuele stelsel te laat volledig ondersoek, sodat daar vroëe deteksie van risiko faktore kan wees.
Kontak ons gerus by 044 692 0247 Dynamic Vision Hartenbos Oogkundiges vir jou gereelde ondersoek.
Detatched Retina