Limpopo communities challenge traditional taxes
JOHANNESBURG - Rural communities in Limpopo are being forced to pay taxes and levies to traditional leaders.
Now, they've had enough and are challenging the compulsory levies in court.
The Legal Resources Centre is supporting the communities.
The centre's Wilmien Wicomb says they are challenging the constitutionality of the practice.
"Part of the problem is because this is such an under-the-raider practice, there is a massive range where community members can be asked to pay anything from R50 to R5,000 for the same thing, annual levy or some other levies. So there is no control over it," Wicomb said.
"The Limpopo government -- when it legalised it -- it contemplated that whenever this kind of levy or tax is paid, it will be gazetted by the government so the idea was that they could have some control over it.
"But not a single one of these taxes has ever been gazetted and no one has any control over it so it can be anything because there are no guidelines as to what fees are imposed."