Sneaky move to deprive pensioners
THE latest clandestine actions of the ethekwini council, in taking punitive financial action against pensioners, is a new low for an organisation increasingly bereft of morals.
Having arbitrarily increased the value of homes belonging to ratepayers – who are forced to pay the highest rate randage in the country – in its recent revaluation exercise to what, in many instances, is far above market value, this conniving bunch have now reduced, by 33%, the value of properties qualifying for the pensioners’ rebate, a fact kept secret from the unsuspecting victims of this cynical move until after they had applied for the rebate, an annual exercise that involves much effort, including hand-delivering the completed application to municipal offices, which also conveniently neglected to inform applicants of the change in property values.
Having omitted – intentionally? – when sending out renewal notices that the value of pensioners’ properties qualifying for the rebate were reduced from under R3million to under R2m, the “pleasant surprise” came in the form of an SMS informing the recipient that “... your rebate for 2017/ 2018 has been rejected as your property value exceeds the R2m limit approved by council in its municipal budget”.
The scurrilous way this bunch of fat-cat individuals, whose record when it comes to acting in the best interests of ratepayers doesn’t bear scrutiny, went about ripping off a group of residents who in most instances have over many years contributed to the city’s coffers through its exorbitant rating system, sits alongside the Currie Road building debacle, the Newmarket stables disgrace, the decision to spend nearly R20m on Casspirs for what the publicityand military-obsessed mayor seems to see as her private army in the form of the Metro police, on a long list which goes on and on.
This ambush of hapless pensioners is also seen by some as yet another salvo against “white monopoly capital” – the ANC’S latest smokescreen in its attempts to draw attention away from its never-ending corruption and other scandals – by an Ancdominated council, in power solely because it commands the vote of a vast majority of residents who contribute nothing by way of rates to the city, which relies on the financial input of the tiny minority who do, said to be less than 10% of citizens.
Many pensioners’ homes have suddenly shot through the R2m barrier, which will no doubt result in a substantial increase in income for the uncaring spendthrifts “running” our city.
The unfairness of someone with a monthly income of, say R50 000, and owning a home valued at R1.9m getting a discount and one with an income of, say R20 000, and a home now valued at R2.1m not qualifying, and that most pensioners are on a fixed income and have no way of increasing it, with the result many will be forced out of their homes, having to sell at rock bottom prices in today’s depressed property market, seems to have escaped our “esteemed” council.
Or has it? CA BAWDEN umhlanga