Man who left home locked for three years to answer ancestral calling held liable for R470,000 levies

Gauteng man faces R470,000 levy bill after three-year absence for traditional healer initiation. A Gauteng man who left his Boksburg home locked and unattended for almost three years while undergoing traditional healer initiation after responding to what he described as an ancestral calling has failed in his bid to overturn a default judgment for unpaid body corporate levies. The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg dismissed an application by L to rescind a default judgment obtained by the Pebble Falls Body Corporate, as well as his application for condonation for filing the matter out of time.

L told the court that his troubles began in 2016 when he experienced illness and misfortune. According to his court papers, a traditional healer informed him in December 2019 that his condition was linked to a calling from his ancestors. Believing that failure to answer the calling could result in serious illness or death, he began training to become a traditional healer in May 2022.

During that period, L moved to his tutor’s home in Soweto and travelled extensively as part of his initiation. He remained under his tutor’s supervision until February 2025. His residence at Pebble Falls in Boksburg remained locked throughout his absence.

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The court heard that while L was away, the Pebble Falls Body Corporate obtained a default judgment against him on 29 January 2024 forunpaid levies amounting to R477,805.33, excluding interest and costs. L argued that he only became aware of the legal proceedings after the sheriff served documents relating to an application to execute against his property. He maintained that his prolonged absence explained why he had not received the summons and that he had not deliberately avoided service.

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