The Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) is set to host its first-ever Indaba to inform trustees, community scheme homeowners, managing agents and other property stakeholders about the role of CSOS, compliance with community scheme legislation, and dealing with common issues in community schemes.

“Community schemes such as sectional title, homeowners’ associations, retirement housing schemes, share block companies and housing cooperatives, are regulated under the Community Schemes Service Act 9 of 2011,” explains CSOS Acting Chief Ombud, Ms Thembelihle Mbatha. “However, not all stakeholders are well versed with the regulations, or their rights and responsibilities. The first CSOS Indaba will offer an opportunity for stakeholders to get to grips with community scheme governance and regulations, and share their challenges and lessons learned.”

The CSOS Indaba will be staged on 3 and 4 August at The Canvas, Riversands in Fourways with the theme: ‘Governance and Regulation: Shaping the Future of Community Schemes’.

The event aims to address a range of problems experienced in community schemes, including unregistered schemes, inadequate governance, non-payment of levies, a lack of transparency and inconsistency in financial management, unconstitutional rules, or poor records management.

Mbatha says common problems reported in community schemes also include rules being enforced without submission to CSOS for approval, no proper handover of records to new trustees or new managing agents, special levies being imposed on members without appropriate SGM resolutions, and disputes emerging over resolutions made during AGMs. Issues that could prompt homeowners to take disputes to CSOS also include a lack of accountability in the management of schemes, poor maintenance of common areas, or a conflict of interests by the Board of Trustees in business decisions made on behalf of the scheme. 

The sessions will address these issues and elaborate on how to resolve them, with an overview of the role CSOS plays in regulating the conduct of parties within community schemes and ensuring good governance, fairness, transparency and resolution of disputes. 

The speakers will include subject matter experts Advocate Menzi Simelane, Advocate Kamogelo Maputla, and Advocate Mbhazima Mavodze, Acting Chief Ombud Thembelihle Mbatha, Adjudicator General Kanozi Mlotha, Gauteng Regional Ombud Abe Masilo, KwaZulu Natal Regional Ombud Mervin Dorasamy, Lesiba Seshoka – CSOS Executive: Corporate Affairs, and Part-time Adjudicator Cindy Foca. 

Acting Chief Ombud says: “The Indaba aims to promote good governance of community schemes and educate community schemes occupiers to help strengthen their governance, administration, and management, in terms of the CSOS mandate. We also hope the Indaba will stimulate community discussions and share challenges and potential solutions which may be proposed as enhancements or amendments of the CSOS legislation.”

The CSOS Indaba is free to attend, but delegates need to be accredited.