Johannesburg Water responds to petition over unfair sewerage charges on multi-dwelling properties
Following a petition led by Ward 106 councillor Chris Santana, the water utility says it has noted residents’ concerns over high sewerage charges, and will consider them in its upcoming tariff review.
Johannesburg Water (JW) has responded to growing calls from residents to review, what they describe as, unfair and discriminatory sewerage charges applied to multi-dwelling residential properties.
This comes after Ward 106 councillor Chris Santana launched a petition urging the city to urgently reduce the flat-rate charges applied to townhouses, retirement villages, and sectional title units. A move that has already gained more than 2 000 signatures.
Santana and residents argue that the current tariff system unfairly penalises smaller households living in multi-dwelling developments.
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Under the current billing structure, each unit is charged a minimum of R697.73 (excluding VAT) per month, while single dwellings, on erfs up to 300m², pay R358.42 (excluding VAT).
“This blanket approach is illogical and unjust,” Santana said. “It punishes smaller, efficient households while ignoring the realities of size and usage.”
Residents also dispute the city’s method of calculating effective erf size, by dividing the total land area by the number of units, arguing that this method does not accurately reflect actual service usage or infrastructure load.
In response to questions from Fourways Review, JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the city has taken note of the concerns, and that the review process for the next tariff cycle is already underway.
“We have noted the concerns raised on the sewer charges and the launching of a petition calling on the City of Johannesburg to urgently review and reduce sewerage charges applied to multi-dwelling residential properties.
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“This request is welcomed as JW has an annual process to review the water and sewer tariffs.”
She added that legislation provides a framework for public participation before tariffs are finalised and approved by council. “JW has already started the review process for the next cycle, and will ensure that the concerns from the ward are considered.
The entity is also open to further engagement with the councillor and community to provide context around the current tariffs.”
Residents are encouraged to take part in the upcoming public participation process, which will be communicated through the City of Johannesburg’s official channels.
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