Cape Town Property Boom Sets Up Court Tussle Over Land Taxes

A surge in property values in Cape Town, Africa’s most expensive city for real estate, has helped spark a months-long tax dispute between a body representing land owners and local authorities.

The Western Cape High Court will from Tuesday hear an application from the South African Property Owners Association — whose members include some of the nation’s top banks, commercial land owners and developers — challenging the legality of the City of Cape Town’s rates on properties for the year through June 2026. The charges form part of the city’s so-called ‘Invested in Hope’ budget.

Sapoa has “serious legal ...