Tongaat and Verulam residents have reached boiling point and are enraged at eThekwini’s proposed tariff increase for water and electricity, as some communities in the areas are alleging to have been “living on and off” without the basic utilities for a number of years.
At the Regional Budget Hearing that took place at the Tongaat Sports Centre, on Sunday, 21 May, the residents were informed of the proposed increases of 21.91% for electricity and 14.9% for water (domestic). Angered by the looming tariff hike, the residents were further annoyed at the mayor, Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda, who was not present at the hearing.
Speaking to the Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid, Tongaat resident, Jeremiah Harilall, said being a bread winner, he is the only working person in his household and the proposed tariff increase will cause a major strain to their financial situation.
He said: “With all the fraud and deceit that is going on within the government it is absolutely sad that they still want to put residents in debt. We are hardly making ends meet as salaries are low and the lost of living keeps on increasing. It is sad to note that even though we vote it means nothing because the ones that were suppose to actually assist in a situation are the same ones that cause us more problems. Its not to say that our country doesn’t have the money, we do, its just that the people who are controlling the money are messing around and in turn our lives are being turned upside down.”
He further added that when the tariff increase was proposed many of the residents were enraged and had posed various remarks. “We have to understand that our community is exhausted. We have to keep paying for these increases and yet we can’t even get proper service delivery. Something needs to be changed. The government needs to appoint proper officials who know what they are doing and are not deceitful so that this country can actually grow into something better rather than the country going to the dogs,” added Harilall.
Another resident, Natalie Sookraj from Verulam, said she was disappointed by the mayor as he did not attend the budget meeting, which left many of the residents questioning their importance as ratepayers in eThekwini.
She said: “The fact that the mayor had not presented the budget speech makes us think that our community is not as important as the next and this poses more serious questions. Apart from the mayor not being present, I think that the increases are outrageous, especially the electricity tariff increase. I don’t understand how the government officials find it appropriate to allocate such high tariffs when many people are not able to pay out the current tariffs as is. It is just upsetting that our government is not looking out for their own anymore.”
Ward 106 Councillor Johnson Chetty, said it seems like the communities in the north of Durban are treated with contempt, as it’s traditionally the role of the mayor to present the proposed budget to the communities, and Mayor Kaunda was not present. He said the proposed budget by the ruling party has been rejected outright by the ratepayers.
“It’s normal to factor in increases to cater for inflation, however, the astronomical increases are unaffordable to the average working class person, the pensioners and the totally indigent. Of particular concern is the electricity and water tariff increases as these are necessities in our lifestyles. In my engagements with people, the most serious complaint is that while municipal services are costing more every year, the services rendered by the council is diminishing every year,” said Cllr Chetty.
He said that “it is embarrassing to be a councillor in eThekwini” when he is unable to get leaking pipes, broken sewer pipes and street lighting repaired or get the grass cut and fix potholes repaired as various other services are in disarray.
“The routine excuse from municipal officials is the ‘lack of resources’. Very recently, the ruling party with its lackeys voted to write off hundreds of millions of Rands, supposedly because they were deemed uncollectible. These funds were misappropriated, stolen or squandered. I don’t think there’s any other country in the world that allows its government to get away with something like this,” said Cllr Chetty.
The ward 106 councillor said he doesn’t think that there is any other country in the world where the government demands its people to pay extra to fill up the coffers when “they are criminally negligent” in safeguarding the people’s money.
“Perhaps the people would exercise their rights at the ballot box next year,” added Cllr Johnson.
From eThekwini’s 2023/24 draft budget and Integrated Development Plan R66 billion, of which R57.9 billion is allocated to the operating budget and R8.1 billion to the capital budget, Ward 58 has been allocate R112 154 000, Ward 59 with R87 464 000, Ward 60 with R73 809 000, Ward 61 with R55 400 000, Ward 62 with R48 446 000, Ward 102 with R178 736 000 and Ward 106 with R25 385 000. The amounts include costs for service delivery.
