The applicant, Sizakele Zulu, is the owner of unit 36 in the Flamingo Villas sectional title scheme and therefore a member of the body corporate. She lodged a dispute application with the Community Schemes Ombud Service (CSOS) on 28 June 2023 against the Flamingo Villas Body Corporate, its trustees, and the managing agent, Earthzone Properties (Pty) Ltd. She complained that there was inadequate communication about the affairs of the scheme, that the CCTV cameras were dysfunctional, that one of the two access gates and the electric fence were not functioning properly, that trenches and sand left by an external contractor near the complex gate had not been addressed, and that monthly statements were inaccurate. She also alleged that a penalty fee had been charged for late levy payment when statements were allegedly issued late, sought access to current financial statements and details of outstanding levies owed by members, and referred to an allegedly inaccurate insurance-related charge imposed on a neighbour. The respondents answered that members were being updated through newsletters and a WhatsApp group, that the scheme was in financial distress because many members were not paying levies, that debt collection and auction steps had been taken against defaulters, and that special levies had been raised partly due to a high City of Johannesburg bill explained at a 2021 special general meeting. They further stated that security upgrades had been completed, that a new CCTV/television system had been purchased and installed in July 2023, that certain external works required council approval, that solar lighting had to be discussed at an AGM, that management accounts were circulated to trustees, that the applicant was invited to inspect statements and legal proceedings against defaulters, and that the penalty charged to her had already been reversed due to a system error. The respondents also argued that the insurance complaint concerning the neighbour was irrelevant to the applicant's own dispute.
The application was dismissed in terms of section 53(1)(a) of the CSOS Act as being without substance. Each party was ordered to bear its own costs.
A CSOS applicant seeking relief under section 39 of the CSOS Act bears the burden of substantiating the factual basis for the relief claimed. Mere dissatisfaction with the administration of a sectional title scheme does not establish that levies are incorrectly determined or unreasonable, that common-area works must be compelled, or that records have been wrongfully withheld. Where the evidence does not show unreasonableness, wrongful denial of access to records, or other grounds within section 39, the application may be dismissed as without substance under section 53(1)(a). A managing agent, acting only on trustees' instructions, is generally not the proper target for substantive relief of this nature.
The adjudicator observed that the applicant appeared generally distressed about the administration of the scheme. The adjudicator also remarked that issues such as camera maintenance and service should be discussed at trustee and general meetings, and noted that external works may require council approval or member approval at an AGM. The reference to the applicant's entitlement to records upon written request under PMR 27 was also explanatory guidance rather than part of the binding basis for dismissal. No official law report citation was provided in the text because this is a CSOS adjudication order rather than a reported court judgment.
This decision is significant in the community schemes context because it illustrates the limited, statute-bound jurisdiction of CSOS adjudicators and confirms that an applicant must place sufficient evidence before the adjudicator to justify relief under section 39 of the CSOS Act. It also underscores that dissatisfaction with scheme administration, without proof of unreasonableness, wrongful withholding of records, or a proper factual basis for compulsory works, will not suffice. The order further highlights the distinction between the body corporate and its managing agent, and points owners to the prescribed mechanisms under the STSMA rules for obtaining access to scheme records.