The DA in Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is urging the authority to be more transparent with ratepayers in regard to growing service delivery failures.

The party said the once lauded municipality is failing to render essential services consistently.

The community continues to be plagued by constant water interruptions, refuse removal backlogs, town planning backlogs, bad roads, high rates, dimmed street lights, as well as non-availability of wheelie bins and prepaid electricity meters.

The municipality is fortunate that ratepayers average a monthly payment rate between 93% and 97%.

The DA said persistent service delivery failures are ‘unjust and punitive’ when electricity purchases are blocked when residents fall behind on sky-high accounts, with residents facing another tariff shock from July 1.

The DA accuses the municipality of suspending services, while the authority faces no tangible consequences for its inability to deliver services.

“This imbalance raises fundamental question of fairness; is it equitable to penalise residents for falling behind, while the municipality itself does not face accountability?” asked the DA’s Palesa Mobango.

Mobango demanded the following:

1. Acknowledgement of service delivery failures.
2. Accountability measures.
3. A review and amendment to policies that render residents without services when accounts are disputed, or behind on payments.
4. Better engagement with the community.