A Conveyancer’s Diary: Friday 18th February 2011

There is a well-established legal rule, dating back from the Roman Law days, that no one should be a judge in one’s own cause. As most of us who have had dealings with the Estate Agency Affairs Board are aware, this “board” is supposed to protect the public against the wrongful actions of (some) estate agents. As an independent statutory body, it should stand above and distanced from the agents it seeks to control.

Some years ago, I took exception to the fact that the CEO of the Board, one Nomonde Mapetla, was also listed as a shareholder [albeit through a trust which she controls] and a director of an estate agency group, viz. Leapfrog. I wrote to her. She chose not to respond. I reported the matter to the [then] chairman of the Board, who also chose to do nothing about this and I then wrote to the Minister of Trade and Industry, who at least showed me the courtesy of “acknowledging receipt” of my letter. I then much later received an e mail from the then Chairman of the EAAB, one Dumisa Hlatshwayo [who was also a director at Alexander Forbes, and who only replied to me when I told him that I would take my firm out of being members of the LPF which Alexander Forbes controls.] to tell me that a decision about Mapetla’s involvement with Leapfrog had been taken and I would soon be reading about it in the Media. Well, I never did read anything further about this.

Then, today I read that the same Mapetla has been suspended as the CEO. No reasons have been given. See www.timeslive.co.za/sundaytimes/article9...ency-board-suspended

Now I wonder whether this has anything to do with her involvement in Leapfrog?