The Abaqulusi Association, now formally registered as a non-profit company (registration number 2025/696809/08) has confirmed that it will proceed with litigation against Abaqulusi Local Municipality over disputed tariffs and ongoing service delivery failures.

The association was recently established to give the residents of Vryheid and surrounding areas a collective voice in matters of governance, accountability and service provision. Its legal representative, Andreas Peens, has confirmed that the first step towards legal action is the collection of new, properly completed dispute forms from residents. These forms, along with the last four municipal accounts of each household, must be handed in at the offices of Uys & Partners Attorneys, who are assisting with the matter.

Peens said the municipality failed to respond to a formal letter dated August 21, which requested clarity on electricity tariffs, the controversial borehole levy, and sewage management. With the deadline for a response now passed, the association believes that legal intervention has become the only option.

According to Peens, the court challenge will focus on four urgent matters:

Borehole levy – The association will ask the court to declare the levy unlawful.

Electricity tariffs – Residents have reported extreme increases, in some cases more than double the previous year’s charges. The association says the municipality has not demonstrated that these increases were lawfully approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).

Load reduction – The association claims that the municipality’s intention to implement load reduction is unconstitutional and amounts to an infringement of residents’ basic human rights. A letter demanding that the municipality provides an undertaking not to proceed with load reduction will be issued immediately.

Sewage management – Continuous sewage leaks in residential areas remain unresolved. Residents are encouraged to take dated photographs through a date/time stamp app to build evidence for a mandamus application, compelling the municipality to remedy the problem. A mandamus application is a legal action where a person or entity petitions a superior court to issue a court order, known as a writ of mandamus, to compel a lower court, government official or public body to perform a specific legal duty they are required to perform by law.

The association has also appealed to its members to make financial contributions towards covering the legal expenses of these actions.

Important:
Residents who wish to lodge disputes are urged to complete the official forms, attach copies of their last four municipal accounts, and submit them directly to Uys & Partners Attorneys.

Residents are urged to follow the ‘AbaQulusi Residents and Ratepayers’ WhatsApp channel to obtain a copy of the dispute letter, as well as further updates on the matter.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.