{"id":295459,"date":"2026-01-23T14:14:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:14:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?p=295459"},"modified":"2026-01-23T14:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T12:14:28","slug":"council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/","title":{"rendered":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

KOUGA<\/strong> – Kouga Local Municipality has approved an 11-month amnesty on penalties for the submission of building plans for historic unauthorised building work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amnesty will run from 1 February 2026 to 15 December 2026, providing property owners with an opportunity to legalise unauthorised structures without incurring the higher alternative tariff normally applied to illegal building work.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kouga Executive Mayor, Hattingh Bornman, supported the initiative.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This amnesty reflects our commitment to supporting residents in regularising their properties while maintaining compliance with building and safety standards. It is a fair and practical solution for those who may have inherited historic non-compliance or were unaware of previous unauthorised works,” said Bornman.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amnesty is subject to certain conditions: owners will still pay the standard building plan application fee, only unauthorised work conducted before 31 December 2024 will qualify, and no exemption applies where legal action has already been taken or where illegal work commences during or after the amnesty period. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“While this amnesty eases the financial burden of historic cases, it does not absolve property owners from other compliance requirements, including municipal by-laws, town planning regulations, or the National Building Regulations. Each application will be carefully assessed on its merits,” said Bornman.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Property owners are encouraged to conduct a property history check and attend a pre-consultation with the Building Control Department to understand the requirements before submitting applications. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applications must be submitted via the OVVIO online portal, and supporting information, as well as Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), can be collected from the Jeffreys Bay or St Francis Bay offices or requested from Roelien Augustus (raugustus@kouga.gov.za) or Nontuthuzelo Jonas (njonas@kouga.gov.za). \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For enquiries, the Building Control Department can be contacted at 042 200 2200 or via adminbuildingcontrol@kouga.gov.za and plansexaminer@kouga.gov.za.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Kouga Local Municipality has approved an 11-month amnesty on penalties for the submission of building plans for historic unauthorised building work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":295533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"73","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"2026-01-22","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7909],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-295459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-recommended"],"yoast_head":"\nCouncil approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kouga Municipality approves an 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties to help residents regularise unauthorised structures.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Kouga Municipality approves an 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties to help residents regularise unauthorised structures.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T12:14:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-23T12:14:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"852\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\"},\"headline\":\"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-23T12:14:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T12:14:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":296,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Recommended\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/\",\"name\":\"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-23T12:14:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-23T12:14:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"Kouga Municipality approves an 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties to help residents regularise unauthorised structures.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":852,\"caption\":\"Picture for illustration purposes.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties | Kouga Express","description":"Kouga Municipality approves an 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties to help residents regularise unauthorised structures.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties","og_description":"Kouga Municipality approves an 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties to help residents regularise unauthorised structures.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2026-01-23T12:14:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-23T12:14:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":852,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Kouga Express","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa"},"headline":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties","datePublished":"2026-01-23T12:14:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-23T12:14:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/"},"wordCount":296,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg","keywords":["Recommended"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/","name":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-23T12:14:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-23T12:14:28+00:00","description":"Kouga Municipality approves an 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties to help residents regularise unauthorised structures.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg","width":1280,"height":852,"caption":"Picture for illustration purposes."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-approves-11-month-amnesty-on-building-plan-penalties\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Council approves 11-month amnesty on building plan penalties"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/kougaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/architect-1080589_1280.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":44885,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-declares-amnesty-period-for-building-plan-fines-20240605-3\/","url_meta":{"origin":295459,"position":0},"title":"Council declares amnesty period for building plan fines","author":"Kouga Express","date":"6 June 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"THE Kouga Council has declared a six-month amnesty period for the payment of fines and penalties related to incomplete or incorrect building plans under the National Building Regulations Act, Act 103 of 1977.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":56469,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/council-declares-amnesty-period-for-building-plan-fines-20190130-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":295459,"position":1},"title":"Council declares amnesty period for building plan fines","author":"Kouga Express","date":"31 January 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"THE Kouga Council has declared an 18-month amnesty period for the payment of fines and penalties related to incomplete or incorrect building plans.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e502fecd77fa4eedbbff1e88518b8460.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e502fecd77fa4eedbbff1e88518b8460.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e502fecd77fa4eedbbff1e88518b8460.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/e502fecd77fa4eedbbff1e88518b8460.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53167,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/four-months-remain-of-building-plan-amnesty-period-20200219-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":295459,"position":2},"title":"Four months remain of building-plan amnesty period","author":"Kouga Express","date":"20 February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"JUST more than four months remain for home-owners to take advantage of the 18-month amnesty period for the payment of fines and penalties related to incomplete or incorrect building plans.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50621,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/building-plan-amnesty-extended-to-december-20210623-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":295459,"position":3},"title":"Building-plan amnesty extended to December","author":"Kouga Express","date":"24 June 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"KOUGA homeowners have been granted a further six months to apply for amnesty from fines and penalties payable for incomplete or incorrect building plans.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52303,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/building-plan-amnesty-period-extended-to-2021-20200708-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":295459,"position":4},"title":"Building-plan amnesty period extended to 2021","author":"Kouga Express","date":"9 July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"HOME-owners have been granted a further year to apply for amnesty from fines and pe-nalties payable for incomplete or incorrect building plans.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50431,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/meter-tamperers-offered-amnesty-20210811-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":295459,"position":5},"title":"Electricity meter tamperers offered amnesty","author":"Kouga Express","date":"12 August 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Local residents who have tampered with their electricity meters now have the opportunity to set the record straight \u2013 no questions asked.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295459"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295459\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295459"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=295459"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=295459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}