Residents to pay more for water, sanitation

POLITICAL parties have lashed out at the eThekwini Municipality for implementing an additional hike above the yearly tariff increases.

Last week, the city released a statement saying that it would introduce a new water and sanitation infrastructure levy. According to the statement, residents will be charged an additional R1.50/Kl for water and R1.50/Kl for sewerage disposal for the next three years.

According to the statement, the money will be contributed towards the R1 billion needed to fund the upgrading of the city’s ageing water and sanitation infrastructure.

“The municipality has experienced an increased number of faults at pump stations and treatment works which have impacted negatively on the delivery of basic water services,” the statement said.

“These faults are due to ageing infrastructure but can also be attributed to external factors, including vandalism, load shedding, and the population expansion in the municipality.”

The city said the implementation of the levy would ensure continued operations and maintenance, with increased reliability of the water supply.

Mdu Nkosi, an IFP member of the eThekwini Municipality committee, said: “If the IFP was in charge, we would not be getting all of this. The economy declined due to the coronavirus. People lost their jobs and some people are going to bed hungry. On Sunday, the president placed the country on an adjusted level 4 lockdown. It means more businesses will close or lay off staff due to their own financial difficulties.”

He said the city called itself caring by giving hotels and lodges an opportunity to make debt payment plans but it implemented an additional fee in the form of the levy.

“This is over and above the tariff hikes that come into effect on Thursday. It is disappointing what the city does. We were pleading with them not to implement the levy but it went ahead.”

Yogis Govender, a DA member of the eThekwini Municipality executive council, said consumers were tired of increases when the municipal services they had to pay for were below par.

“Purported turnaround plans never materialise. Street lights do not work and substations fail. Coupled with unchecked illegal connections and no preventative maintenance, it has been a yearly recipe for the serious failings in these units.”

Visvin Reddy, the leader of the African Democratic Change party, said: “The tariffs are excessive and in most cases, they are unaffordable. Statistics SA revealed that more than 50% of black (African, coloured and Indian) South Africans are living below the poverty line, as opposed to whites who make up 1%. These draconian increases affect previously disadvantaged communities the most.”