Durban — Several ratepayer associations in Durban held an emergency meeting on Monday regarding their ongoing struggle against tariff increases imposed by the eThekwini Municipality.
During the meeting, the associations agreed to submit written objections to the City later this week.
The eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association (Erra) had called the meeting with all its affiliates to dissect the figures and proposed tariff hikes, which were drafted and budgeted by the eThekwini Municipality last month.
Chairperson of the Glenwood and Bulwer Road Ratepayers and Residents Association (GBBRRA), Keyuren Maharaj, said residents demanded transparency from municipal authorities regarding the rationale behind the tariff increases. Questions were raised about the necessity of the hikes and whether alternative measures were explored to mitigate the need for such drastic changes.
Residents at the meeting highlighted the potential adverse effects of the increases on vulnerable members of the community, including low-income households and the elderly.
Maharaj said there was a unanimous call for the municipal authorities to be held accountable for their decision-making process regarding the tariff hikes; and residents emphasised the need for greater accountability, consultation, and transparency in future decision-making processes that directly affect the community.
“Erra wants to see residents being consulted in the entire budget process in the future as residents possess valuable insights and perspectives on local issues and challenges. Consulting them allows municipal authorities to tap into this collective wisdom and gather input on budgetary priorities, resource allocation, and service delivery, leading to more informed and effective decision-making,” Maharaj said.
He added: “A matter that was brought up was the importance of residents to familiarise themselves with the IDP Budget.
“The budget directly impacts the quality and availability of essential services and infrastructure within the municipality, such as roads, schools, healthcare and public safety. Understanding the budget allows us to hold municipal authorities accountable for their financial decisions.”
Erra president Ish Prahladh said that they would submit written objections to the City, and stressed that residents and ratepayers were still recovering from the effects of the July unrest looting, floods and the Covid-19 pandemic.
Regarding the botched billing, Prahladh said: “The eThekwini Municipality must be held accountable for the billing system that they have installed and also who was given the tender must be accountable.
“The service provider must sort it out at their cost, not at the cost of the ratepayer and residents paying for their mistakes. Upgrading of the billing system, especially in this time frame – three years and millions allocated to that. Really? Why can they not get a properly qualified IT technician to make the current system run smoother and save millions of the ratepayers’ and residents’ money?”
Prahladh also raised issues of poor infrastructure, street lights, water and electricity – saying that the residents were suffering across the board.
Present at the meeting were the GBRRA, the Tongaat Ratepayers Association (TRA) and the Queensburgh Ratepayers Association (QRA).
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