Frustrated eThekwini residents have expressed their objections to the city’s proposed tariffs and rates increases by signing a petition to oppose the hikes.
The council approved a proposed tariff increment for services averaging 7.9% last week, with water and electricity tariffs set to increase by 14.9% and 14% respectively.
However, that was immediately rejected by ratepayers around the city.
eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (ERRA), which represents a number of ratepayers groups in the city, have since taken this a step further by starting a petition to reject the proposed increases.
ERRA’s Keyuren Maharaj said the proposed rate increases were not justified in a municipality that had constantly failed to deliver adequate services.
“It is unacceptable for us to pay more while receiving less.”
“We believe it is unfair for the municipality to increase tariffs when they cannot deliver reliable services. We call on all residents of eThekwini Municipality to stand together against this proposed tariff increase until we see significant improvements in service delivery.”
Petition nears target
The petition has received more than 8,000 out of the targeted 10,000 signatures within a week.
Other ratepayers groups have also expressed their dissatisfaction with the proposed rates increases, arguing these were way above the inflation rate and were seemingly to cover the city’s economic underperformance.
“The association is particularly aggrieved by the fact these increased rates are seemingly to cover the costs of inefficiencies and incompetence within the municipality's management.
“Persistent service delivery failures, as outlined in our initial objection, underscore our stance that it is unjustifiable for residents to fund the lack of accountability and performance in municipal services,” said Sanjith Hannuman, deputy chairperson of the Reservoir Hills Ratepayers and Residents Association (RHRRA).
ERRA spokesperson Imraan Bennett warned the municipality: “We are not milking cows. The empty coffers are not the problem of the residents of eThekwini. Show us the funds you recovered from wasteful expenditure, show us the funds you recovered from the fraudulent activities of your staff and contractors. Show us that you went with an increment. The residents will not be refilling your coffers. You allowed this, now you fix it.”
Allison Schoeman, vice-chairperson of the Bluff Ratepayers & Residents Association (BRRA), said the economic climate means the proposed increases were “unsustainable” for the majority of residents.
“Our city has endured hardships that have severely impacted the revenue-generating capacity of residents, with many still struggling to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.”
Alternative measures
The BRRA proposed alternative “revenue-generating measures” for the city to consider instead, including: engaging more in public-private partnerships and monetising underutilised municipal assets through leasing, selling or developing them in partnership with the private sector as well as establishing special economic zones and enhancing existing zones such as the Dube Trade Port.
Another avenue suggested is that the municipality tries to reduce “unnecessary spending” by revising management salaries to align more closely with that of the private sector.
“Conduct a comprehensive benchmarking exercise to compare the salary structures of municipal management with equivalent positions in the private sector,” said Schoeman.
“Based on the benchmarking findings, the municipality could consider adjusting the salary scales of high-earning management positions to bring them in line with the private sector. This adjustment should be made carefully to maintain competitiveness and attract skilled professionals, but also to ensure that public funds are used efficiently and responsibly.”
Schoeman added that these measures should be implemented in a transparent manner and consult all stakeholders to ensure public support.
These measures could help the city to enhance its financial health without “burdening” ratepayers, said Schoeman.
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