Allegations of fraud and corruption have been levelled against staff at the Estate Agency Affairs Board and two more senior staff members have been suspended as the board appears to be on the verge of collapse.

IF the EAAB fell apart, it would have serious repercussions for the property industry, which contributes about 15% of South Africa’s gross domestic product in a property sector that’s worth about R2-trillion.

The problems started last Friday when board chairman Thami Bolani was suspended amid allegations that he had contravened the conditions of his appointment as a board member.

Apparently Bolani got wind of the Department of Trade and Industry’s plan to suspend him and he immediately suspended Bryan Chaplog, the chief financial officer and circulated an e-mail announcing this suspension to all board members. Reasons for the suspension have not been given.

Spokesman for the board, Portia Mofikoe was also allegedly suspended apparently for initiating a controversial deal with NCF Consulting Enterprises – a company chaired by Bolani where he allegedly earned R200k in board fees.

About a month ago e-mails were circulating at the EAAB accusing Bolani of having a relationship with Mofikoe and receiving kickbacks in the purchase of new buildings for the board. These allegations have not been substantiated.

Bolani then accused deputy chairman Tryphina Dube of sending these “slanderous” e-mails and wrote in response to Dube’s mail that “this whole dirty campaign against me is led by the deputy chairperson”.

Bolani apparently claimed that the “whole board is a mess” and that the rumours had been part of an orchestrated campaign to get rid of him.

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I am not surprised. I first registered as an estate Agent in 1969 and in those days everything flowed smoothly. In my opinion....In the last 17 years, this has been the most inefficient government dept. When you query the late delivery of certificates you are met with arrogance and a request to re-send everything again because they could not find it. It was as if in order to adhere to the government cry of "Job Creation" they had employed a person to permanently destroy faxes and another to immediately delete emails. The cheques were cashed however but no one could find out to which dept the money had been allocated, and to wait 9 months for a response is not uncommon. The head of the education dept believes that he is so important, that he does not have to reply to any communications
In that Organisation only one person stands out as being able to handle anything but I do not want to name her for fear of victimization. - Hilton

Why does the Department of Trade and Industry not simply transfer the ±R500mil in the fidelity fund of the EAAB to the Tribunal handling disputes in terms of the Consumer Protection Act and dissolve the Board? They have been an embarrassment to the Real Estate Industry and Government alike for many, many years and simply cannot get their house in order. It is not as if we need them the way we “need” the SABC, so stop putting up with the frustrations and let the Consumer Protection Act do what it is meant to do, i.e. protect the public against unscrupulous agents the same way it would protect them against unscrupulous car dealers or retailers? - M. Cronjé

I tried for 5 years – yes 5 years, to get my FFC and was eventually advised to go to JHB from the Western Cape. Had to fly up, made an appointment prior to leaving and when I arrived at the allotted time, the “gentleman” had not even read the covering letter I sent summarizing and accompanying all the documentation!!
What an absolute farce the EAAB is – I could NOT believe what I saw on arrival at the reception area! Words could not describe my disgust!
Glad to say I now have a FFC and it will be framed in GOLD!! - Desire
 
I agree totally with all the comments made here. The Estate Agency Affairs Board is in total disarray and should be disbanded. We (agents) do what we can to uphold standards and a professional code in spite of the Board, and without any protection or assistance from the EAAB. I have had precisely the same experience as Hilton and Desire. I have spent the last three years trying to untangle maladministration issues with the Board, wasting countless hours of professional time and money to no avail. It's a nightmare. Agents should band together to call for the dissolution of the Board, on the basis of corruption and wholesale inefficiency and press fraud charges for holding monies illegally. - Helaine

I agree with all of the above disputes. I have had too many irate encounters with EAAB to mention.
Ironically It is “compulsory” to have a FFC to be an Estate Agent in this country. Since 2008 I have wasted hours of dialogue with the various departments with past and present employees of EAAB regarding my ‘missing’ 2008 FFC which my then company had paid together with the rest of the agents for 2008, most of my colleagues FFC arrived except mine. From Jan that year to Sept, begging phoning every month to try and trace my certificate, I lost it. I went to the Head Office sat there for 4 hours waiting for them to find a trace of it, to no avail. No one could tell me if they perhaps sent it to the wrong address (accidentally) or was it sent back. What was the address they sent it to??? The answer I eventually got that day was, well maim, you will have to pay for 2009 registration as we can’t find 2008. Furiously I paid for 2009 and I registered my own company. However, Having said that, “It is law now, to go through new legislation of FETS, PED’s, RPL’s….. you can’t get exemption or go forward if you don’t have continuous experience between 2003 – 2008. I have but 2008 is LOST IN TRANSLATION!!. The stress of the economy is it not enough, and this exam is costing a fortune. Small companies like myself have to fork out the full amount, I don’t get a bursary. Although I qualified for a bursary with the my previous company. I’m also starting to question if this department if really necessary, can’t we work directly under the auspices of the DTI?The EAAB is also suppose to be protection for Sellers – sorry I have also been on the other side of the fence. My mother a pensioner and widow needed to sell her property in North West as I got her a place in a retirement village in JHB. I left the sale in the “capable hands” of the local agents. I asked the agents to produce their FFC to which they were very offended, I investigated and found not the mandate, or the selling agents had valid FFC at the time of signing the contracts. I (as the seller on behalf of my mother) reported them to the Board, I received and avadavat confirming that they were illegal. I then contacted the conveyance attorney who ignored the avadavat and continued against the sellers instruction not to pay unregistered agents commission. I later received a phone call from the attorney making threats to me, then under duress I explained to my mother that we will have to let the commission be paid out, so that we  be free from this stress. We have after 8 months eventually registered and payment was received by seller and buyer, however, an amount of R5000 was a shortfall? When I questioned that we would like to receive  a Final Account of payment, the attorney advised me that I ask my mother to instruct that in writing. She then wrote me a handwritten note that she authorises me, her daughter to receive the requested account via email as she is not receiving mail where she lives. I have a month later not received any communication from the conveyance attorney. My mother the seller 75 years of age and recently widowed and I feel we were bullied. As a seller, I sent all this frustration to the EAAB legal department, wittingly that they protect sellers…….the answer was that EAAB do not get involved with litigation. ??????? Thanks for listening.- Rosalind