Fed-up Westville residents have vowed to step up their fight with the eThekwini municipality over tariff hikes for municipal services.
This follows a meeting between eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, speaker Thabani Nyawose, other officials and residents at the Westville civic hall on Thursday night.
Westville Ratepayers Association chair Asad Gaffor expressed concern that Kaunda closed the meeting without hearing responses from residents.
He described the public meeting as “nothing but a show-and-tell”, saying the city does not have the capacity to meet the challenges it is facing.
The meeting was held after residents threatened to boycott municipal bill payments and set up an account which they could deposit their payments into.
Kaunda said finalising the contested tariffs had been a lengthy process which was above board.
“We assure you that the city is working,” said Kaunda. He said the city had also bolstered its service delivery, citing Durban Solid Waste (DSW) as an example.
“The city has become better in terms of cleanliness. I can assure you that DSW is trying its best.”
He said the strides made by the unit were as a result of the city taking a hard stance on consequence management.
The city had reduced tariffs for some municipal services after a public outcry over hikes in rates, water and electricity.
Kaunda said repairing damage caused by the floods last year had strained the city's coffers. He undertook to respond to the residents' grievances within two weeks.
TimesLIVE
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