THE Affirmative Repositioning movement yesterday said it will take legal action against government for not implementing rent control as agreed during a meeting earlier this year.
The AR and government agreed during a meeting at State House on 11 April that rent control regulations would be put in place.
AR leader Job Amupanda said in a statement yesterday that they had highlighted to government that they have a duty to apply section 33 of the Estate Agents Act 11 of 1976, but government had failed to do so.
He stated that the AR has no other option but to take government to court to compel the authorities to adhere to the law, and create rent control regulations.
“Our lawyers are already visiting case law and preparing for us to take the government to court,” Amupanda said, adding that should they lose the case, they will know that the judiciary is on the side of politicians who seem not to have the interests of the suffering masses at heart.
However, the Office of the Prime Minister said last night that the government was seized with setting up a Rent Control Board.
Spokesperson Saima Shaanika said the actual implementation of regulations dealing with the Rent Control Board will be undertaken by the Estate Agents Board after consulting stakeholders while the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development will exercise the oversight function.
“The Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development has commenced with the process to set up the Rent Control Board,” she said.
Amupanda said he was “very excited when we had the meeting at State House, but it is heartbreaking that our government failed to keep to an agreement they made. It tells us that we cannot count on the government to keep to what they promise”.
He said Prime Minister Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila had failed to summon the Real Estate Board before or on the date agreed, and apart from a message sent by an assistant, she never updated the activists on the progress of the suggested rent control.
Although they are not giving the government a deadline on when to prescribe tariffs, they will continue with the legal action and any other actions, if necessary.
“They are always telling us that this country is run by laws, and that we should follow the law, but they fail to follow their own law. This saddens me and is unacceptable,” Amupanda added.
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