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The Democratic Alliance in uMgungundlovu District Municipality is appalled by the suggested 75% water tariff increase that was presented at the budget steering committee and finance committee today, and that we expect to be pushed through the council this month. This is clearly just a way to get residents to pay for the continued internal failures of the municipality.

We object to this budget in the strongest terms. We will be appealing to the KwaZulu-Natal MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Sipho Hlomuka, to request his urgent intervention in this municipality that is clearly not able to provide the services and collect the revenue on behalf of cash-strapped residents. We are hopeful that the provincial government will see sense and protect residents from this unprecedented tariff increase.

This is plain and simple abuse of residents who have no alternative to getting water supplied. A 75% increase in this economic climate is beyond belief. The well-known failures in the municipality, resulting in R1.2 billion in very old and uncollectable debts, is but one example that the municipality’s internal structures lack the capacity to do the job.

Another is the 57% non-revenue water. That is the water that is purchased and unaccounted for. A lot of this water is being used by residents where there is no political will to regularise and bill people. Some areas have a 0% collection rate where they are actually billed.

For the record, little effort has been made to improve these collection rates, while maximum effort to collect is made in Howick and Hilton where very high collection rates occur.

This is unfair treatment of residents who do pay their accounts, for very obvious political gains. We cannot stand by and allow residents to be extorted in this manner. We will not approve this unreasonable and unfair budget at the full council next week. The municipality needs to take a fair and professional approach to the collection of debts in order to improve the 35% collection rate so that it can protect cash-strapped residents from exorbitant increases and realise the cash flow to run the municipality.

This municipality clearly needs to be placed under administration, as has been called for by the DA for years. Just because they have a monopoly on water supply and can extort this type of increase from residents, does not mean that is it either fair or morally acceptable. The DA will continue fighting for the fair treatment of residents and hold the municipality to account.

Issued by DA uMgungundlovu District Caucus Leader Councillor Hazel Lake