Communities protest against tariff increases
Mayor Kaunda was not available to receive the statement, however, Reggie Cele from the mayor’s office was in attendance and accepted it on his behalf.
Thousands of disgruntled ratepayers thronged the streets of Durban, last Friday, to express their dissatisfaction and disgust at the city fathers for unilaterally increasing the rate tariffs to exorbitant amounts.
Ratepayers and various civic organisations mobilised their constituencies to send a clear message to the eThekwini Municipality that they will not accept the new tariff increases, which will go into effect on July 1, and are calling on the executive members of eThekwini and the mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, to put a moratorium on all tariff hikes as this will place a huge financial burden on its citizens.
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According to a statement drafted by the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) which organised the protest, the proposed 2023/ 2024 tariff increases are as follows: electricity will increase by 21, 9 percent subject to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) approval, property rates will see an increase of 8, 9 percent, water will increase by 14, 9 percent for residential users and 12,9 percent for businesses, and refuse will see an eight percent increase for domestic and a seven to nine percent increase for businesses.
Some of the pertinent points listed in the statement expressing their dissatisfaction were that the city conducts a thorough review of the proposed tariff increases and their potential impact on households, engage with Eskom and other relevant stakeholders to prioritise service delivery and find immediate solutions to reduce load shedding and improve overall reliability, and to reinforce the importance of fulfilling the promises made by the government regarding providing free basic services and ensuring that the vulnerable members of society are not disproportionally affected by these tariff increases.
Mayor Kaunda was not available to receive the statement, however, Reggie Cele from the mayor’s office was in attendance and accepted it on his behalf.
