DURBAN - An organisation representing ratepayers is playing “hard ball” with the eThekwini Municipality as the City desperately seeks to resolve the dispute that has led to some ratepayers boycotting rates and utility payments.
The City and the organisation that represents irate ratepayers across the city are set to meet for the second time in the coming days.
The ratepayers had said they were offended by how the meeting last Thursday was handled by the City and are now demanding to take charge of the next meeting.
In a letter seen by The Mercury, the organisation has set out how they believe the next meeting must proceed to be fruitful.
Asad Gaffar, the chairperson of the Westville Ratepayers Association, which initiated the boycott move, confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
The letter says: “As you would have noticed, this letter now comes to you under an official umbrella structure for all Ratepayers in eThekwini, the eThekwini Rate Payers Movement (ERPM), and as such this will be the body that will further engage.
“We refer to the last meeting request wherein we accepted the invite only to find that the municipality opened this meeting to all and sundry. The meeting venue was circulated on online platforms and whilst the municipality advertised this meeting as a meeting, it was in fact an Imbizo.
“We noted that only 10 minutes were set aside on the agenda for engagement. Furthermore, the meeting format was directed and dictated by the speaker. Whilst this may be the format for council meetings, this process does not allow for meaningful engagement,” it said.
The letter states that for the next meeting, the ERPM will be happy to attend if:
- This meeting will be a closed board meeting.
- That ERPM chairs this meeting. We will not accept the speaker as chair.
- That it deals with the specific issues as per the memorandum, bearing in mind all the legislative procedures entitled to ratepayers.
“In the last meeting, we requested the presence of the City Manager and the CFO. In terms of the MSA (32) of 2000, MFMA and MSA (117) of 1998, the Mayor, City Manager and CFO are regarded as the top three. Should all three not be present, we will not proceed with the meeting.”
The letter further said that since this matter affects governance, it would also be in the best interest to include the full council executive.
“As previously advised, our attorney will be present. We trust this will be met in the best interest of ‘finding each other’ and that we can find an amicable solution. It is our interest to work with the city and to support the city on a path to prosperity for all who live here,” it concluded.
The City has said that since the boycott of payments is now a legal matter it would not comment on it in the media.