The Portfolio Committee on Provincial and Local Government reports as follows:

(a) Current valuations of property in the Eastern Cape, the Northern Cape and the Western Cape, for purposes of rating, have been undertaken in terms of the Property Valuation Ordinance, 1993 (Cape) ("the Ordinance").

(b) Potential legal challenges exist regarding these valuations.

(c) The said challenges may arise in regard to the applicability or otherwise of the Ordinance.

(d) Legal certainty is required regarding the applicability and interpretation of the Ordinance.

(e) There may be other provinces which may be similarly affected.

(f) Time-consuming steps are required for the processing of local government legislation.

(g) The imminent processing of the Local Government Laws Amendment Bill provides a window of opportunity to address the abovementioned concerns regarding the Ordinance.

The Committee therefore recommends that -

(1) appropriate legislative measures are attended to and processed in the "Local Government Laws Amendment Bill", when that Bill is introduced in Parliament, with a view to resolving any uncertainties regarding the applicability and interpretation of the Property Valuation Ordinance, 1993 (Cape), and of any other provincial ordinances which may suffer from similar uncertainties; and

(2) the abovementioned legislative measures be attended to expeditiously.

Report to be considered.