AR turns up pressure
AR says “stubborn politicians” are in for a surprise, if they don’t act swiftly this week to curb exorbitant property rental costs.
The Affirmative Repositioning movement said it will lodge a case in the High Court this week, if government fails to reign in high rental prices through a rent control body.
Announcing AR's next move, after trade minister Tjekero Tweya responded to their initial threat last week, Job Amupanda said a meeting would be held tomorrow to set in motion preparations for a court case to force government to look into the issue of high rental costs.
“The minister [Tweya] did not deal with our material concerns nor did he show any concerns with the pain and suffering that emanated from government's failure to implement an existing law.
“He basically indicated that government will not implement an existing law and that the renting population must wait for plans for some bills seated in government cupboards,” said Amupanda.
He said the failure to introduce the rent board was hypocritical.
Amupanda said the claim by Tweya that the law cannot be implemented was “colonial logic is at best” and “hypocrisy of the highest order”.
“This regime obeys, implements and administers the Squatters Proclamation 21 of 1985, which by all accounts is impractical, racist and colonial by content and character.”
Amupanda said it was also odd that it was taking government so long to finalise the Rent Bill, but that it had moved swiftly when other constitutional amendments were made.
“Our experience with the 2010 and the 2014 constitutional amendments that took less than a month, shows that laws can be made and amended in a shortest possible time.”
As a response to government's inability to address high rental costs, AR would soon launch a class action suit against government, Amupanda said.
“All renting youth and people of interest will form part of one application. Once we reach 200 we will proceed with the action. This will not only advance our case for a class action but will also save on the costs.”
Lawyers have been asked to help AR.
“Volunteering legal practitioners will form part of the legal team that will spearhead the case. We are targeting a team of 20 lawyers,” Amupanda said.
“As soon as this process is complete, the legal practitioners will immediately start drafting the court papers for immediate filing at the High Court and service on the stubborn politicians.”
Tweya said in his letter to Amupanda that government had tried to regulate pricing in the rental market.
“Government has undertaken a number of steps leading to the establishment of the rent boards as provided for in the Rent Ordinance of 1977. However, after the review of the ordinance, it is government's considered opinion that the ordinance is impractical to implement in its current form,” said Tweya.
In February last year, AR also threatened legal action against the government, which had put on hold the appointment of a rent control board until the tabling of a new bill.
Tweya, as information minister, announced a sudden turnabout on appointing a rent control board by saying the 1977 law had become obsolete and would “render the work of the rent board of no force or effect”.
He announced that a new Bill was on the cards, which would replace the current legislation. Until that time, it would be impractical to implement a rent control board, he said.
OGONE TLHAGE
Announcing AR's next move, after trade minister Tjekero Tweya responded to their initial threat last week, Job Amupanda said a meeting would be held tomorrow to set in motion preparations for a court case to force government to look into the issue of high rental costs.
“The minister [Tweya] did not deal with our material concerns nor did he show any concerns with the pain and suffering that emanated from government's failure to implement an existing law.
“He basically indicated that government will not implement an existing law and that the renting population must wait for plans for some bills seated in government cupboards,” said Amupanda.
He said the failure to introduce the rent board was hypocritical.
Amupanda said the claim by Tweya that the law cannot be implemented was “colonial logic is at best” and “hypocrisy of the highest order”.
“This regime obeys, implements and administers the Squatters Proclamation 21 of 1985, which by all accounts is impractical, racist and colonial by content and character.”
Amupanda said it was also odd that it was taking government so long to finalise the Rent Bill, but that it had moved swiftly when other constitutional amendments were made.
“Our experience with the 2010 and the 2014 constitutional amendments that took less than a month, shows that laws can be made and amended in a shortest possible time.”
As a response to government's inability to address high rental costs, AR would soon launch a class action suit against government, Amupanda said.
“All renting youth and people of interest will form part of one application. Once we reach 200 we will proceed with the action. This will not only advance our case for a class action but will also save on the costs.”
Lawyers have been asked to help AR.
“Volunteering legal practitioners will form part of the legal team that will spearhead the case. We are targeting a team of 20 lawyers,” Amupanda said.
“As soon as this process is complete, the legal practitioners will immediately start drafting the court papers for immediate filing at the High Court and service on the stubborn politicians.”
Tweya said in his letter to Amupanda that government had tried to regulate pricing in the rental market.
“Government has undertaken a number of steps leading to the establishment of the rent boards as provided for in the Rent Ordinance of 1977. However, after the review of the ordinance, it is government's considered opinion that the ordinance is impractical to implement in its current form,” said Tweya.
In February last year, AR also threatened legal action against the government, which had put on hold the appointment of a rent control board until the tabling of a new bill.
Tweya, as information minister, announced a sudden turnabout on appointing a rent control board by saying the 1977 law had become obsolete and would “render the work of the rent board of no force or effect”.
He announced that a new Bill was on the cards, which would replace the current legislation. Until that time, it would be impractical to implement a rent control board, he said.
OGONE TLHAGE
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