Oldies wheelie-mad as bin rates 'soar by 745%'

A group of feisty pensioners in the sleepy village of Hermanus has vowed to take to the streets, some in their wheelchairs, to protest against the cash-strapped municipality hiking their rubbish collection rates by 745%.

The senior citizens live in a retirement block.

"It's not in our nature to walk around waving our sticks, but we are thinking of a protest march. Those who are in wheelchairs can join us," said 86-year-old Ena Wendland, of Fynbos Park.

The rumpus comes after recent increases in water and rates, and this prompted the group to take their fight to the public protector.

Matters came to a head at a lively meeting, attended by Hermanus mayor Nicolette Botha-Guthrie and municipal manager Coenie Groenewald, late last year.

At the heart of the dispute is a new municipal method of charging for waste removal in sectional title developments, which include many retirement homes.

Instead of charging a flat rate per bin, the council now charges per household. As a result the council's income from Fynbos Park has skyrocketed from R2451 a month to R20720.

"We have the most expensive bins in the country," said Fynbos Park's Jurie Hamman.

Council spokesman Santie Reyneke-Naude said that until June 30, Fynbos Park Home Owners' Association paid R16.57 per unit per month, whereas all other single residential properties in the Overstrand were paying R129. From July 1 the association was not charged for refuse removal; instead each owner (148 units) was levied R140 a month, the same as all other residential properties in the Overstrand.