Durban – The ANC-run eThekwini Municipality has come under fire from several ratepayers’ associations, who have accused it of ramming through proposed tariff increases without proper consultation.
The beleaguered municipality – the focus of a Section 154 intervention by government – has been accused of merely ticking boxes to justify the pending increases while claiming it has consulted ratepayers.
NEWS: Concerned Durban ratepayers associations have written to the ANC-led eThekwini municipality to object to the proposed tariff hikes to kick in July this year. In the letter, one of them, the Westville ratepayers association says it also noted the lousy attitude
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) May 26, 2023
The accusations are contained in a joint letter sent by the associations to mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, City manager Musa Mbhele and Speaker Thabani Nyawose, among others.
At the forefront of the objection is the Westville Ratepayers’ Association, supported by the Bluff Ratepayers and Residents’ Association, the Musgrave Ratepayers’ Association, the Active Citizens Movement and the Tongaat Civic Association.
“No public engagement or participatory meetings, in so far as this proposed tariff increase [is concerned], was held in Westville.
“Similarly, some of the associations cited herewith have informed us that no meetings were held in their wards either,” the associations state in the letter.
They have also accused the municipality of infringing the Constitution, which allows people to be heard before municipalities take decisions.
“This is currently not the status quo. This municipality is functioning as a supreme authority, with a complete disregard of the community’s concerns.
“A municipality may not make arbitrary decisions without involving the community.
“We have highlighted on several occasions our dissatisfaction regarding non-service and poor-quality service from contractors employed by the city.
These included, but were not limited to:
– Holes in the road and pavements that were left unattended, with no safety warnings;
– Rubble not being removed after pipes had been repaired;
– Road surfaces not being repaired;
– Parts and vehicles being unavailable;
– Stormwater systems left clogged and not cleaned for years; and,
– Ratepayers not able to report power and water outages due to a non-functional call centre and/or WhatsApp system.
“We are left helpless,” it states.
The association said they were not willing to accept the tariff increases. Further, the services rendered by the municipality were not up to scratch and the tariff increases should be suspended.
“The ratepayers are not willing to accept any tariff increase unless we have been fully engaged, and reserve our rights to embark on any action to ensure we are not unfairly burdened.
“We note with concern that the recent Section 154 intervention by the provincial government is an indication that our concerns raised herein are justified, and certainly therefore any decision by Ethekwini Municipality, in so far as it relates to adopting any tariff increases, should be pended until the Section 154 enquiry is complete.
“And a report is issued to the public dealing with the wasteful and irregular spending concerns."
Municipal spokesperson Lindiwe Khuzwayo denied their officials conducted a “ticking the box exercise”.
“This is a false allegation.
“Our teams were under strict instructions to note all the comments at the consultations, as these are regarded as important."
She also denied the municipality ignored ratepayers' inputs, and said all comments would be taken into consideration.
“The last consultation was held on the 24th of May at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
“We had teams dedicated to making note of all concerns raised because every resident’s view is important in this process.