Anti-tax abuse organisation develops tools to have your say on metro’s budget
The organisation who fought the government on tolls, is now empowering South Africans to challenge unfair rate hikes and influence local spending, holding municipalities to account.
“History has shown that when communities collaborate and submit detailed, well-informed comments on municipal budgets, real change is possible.”
This is the comment of Julius Kleynhans, the executive manager for Local Government at the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).
The organisation became well-known for waging and winning a protracted war on e-tolls.
He believes sustained, formal pressure can influence rate increases and spending priorities.
“Even more is possible if more citizens get involved. We urge every South African to comment on their local budget or support organisations that can do so on their behalf. Meaningful public participation is a cornerstone of our democracy,” said Kleynhans.
Kleynhans is also the spokesperson of the Community Action Network (CAN), an initiative of the organisation.
They are urging South Africans to review their local municipality’s draft budget for the upcoming financial year.
These budgets may include above-inflation rates and tariff charge increases, adding a further tax burden to already struggling citizens and communities.
By law, every municipality must make its draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year available for public comment by no later than March 31, with a minimum 30-day window for public participation.
The metro is conducting several public participatory meetings from April 9 in Pretoria wards with this in mind. (See list herewith).
Under discussion will be a draft reviewed 2025/26 Tshwane Integrated Development Plan (IDP), draft 2025/26–2027/28 Medium-term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF) (and related tariffs) and draft Property Rates Policy and By-law.
CAN is running a campaign to help communities across South Africa engage meaningfully with their municipal budgets.
According to Jonathan Erasmus, CAN project manager, his team has developed a range of resources to support hardworking South Africans in making a real impact on their local budget processes.
“We’ve created a clear online timeline that explains how the budget process works, along with tools, tips, and easy-to-understand guides on how to make a submission on a municipal budget,” said Erasmus.
Among the resources are documents on how to interpret municipal budgets using the Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (mSCOA), as well as a practical guide on what to object to and where to locate the relevant data in the mSCOA forms.
“Commenting on a municipal budget isn’t as simple as signing a petition. It requires more effort and understanding than many other public participation processes. We aim to make it easier by showing people exactly where to look and what to do,” Erasmus added.
The CAN team has also compiled links to every municipal website in South Africa, enabling residents to easily find their municipality and access the draft budget documents.
The CAN municipal timeline (and links to other budget resources) can be viewed here: The Municipal Budget Timeline Guide for Everyone – Community Action Network
The CAN list of municipalities with links to them can be viewed here: Find My Municipality – Community Action Network
These are the upcoming dates for Pretoria’s participatory meeting for residents to comment on the draft reviewed 2025/26 Tshwane IDP, Draft 2025/26–2027/28 MTREF and Draft Property Rates Policy and By-law.
Wednesday, April 9 @18:00: 3 Tshwane Korfball Park; 6 Stanza Bopape Community Hall
Thursday, April 10 @18:00: 7 Bronkhorstspruit Council Chamber
Tuesday, April 15 @18:00 3 Lucas van den Berg Community Centre (Danville Clinic); 4 Laudium Civic Centre; 6 Erasmuskloof Fire Station
Wednesday, April 16 @18:00: 6 Eersterust Civic Centre;
Wednesday, April 23 @10:00: 1 Thabo Mnguni Hall (Winterveld); @16:00 5 De Wagensdrift Clinic
Thursday, April 24 @16:00 1 KT Motubatse (Community Hall); @18:00 6 Nellmapius: Community Hall
Saturday, April 26 @10:00: 1 Soshanguve Block X Community Hall; 2 Rooiwal Community Hall; 2 Makgoba Sebothoma Community Hall; 4 Seshegong Secondary School; 5 Refilwe Community Hall; 7 Masakhane Community Hall
Saturday, May 3 @10:00: 1 Mabopane Indoor Centre; 2 Mandela Hall; 3 Mbolekwa Community Hall; 5 Kutumela Molefi Primary School; 7 Dan Kutumela Secondary School
Online meetings:
Thursday, April 24 @18:00: 1 and 2 Microsoft Teams; Meeting ID: 337 962 405 832; Passcode: 9SB2aC9z
Tuesday, April 29 @18:00: 3, 4 and 6 Microsoft Teams; Meeting ID: 330 695 657 422; Passcode: 8dy2p5YT
Residents who wish to comment on these documents can submit their comments in writing by May 5 at 15:00.
Draft reviewed Tshwane IDP: Send an email to idpcomments@tshwane.gov.za or hand-deliver comments to the IDP comments box at the reception desk, Ground Floor, Tshwane House, 320 Madiba Street, Pretoria.
Draft MTREF (and related tariffs): Send an email to Stephani Botes at stephanib@tshwane.gov.za or hand-deliver comments to the MTREF comments box at the reception desk at Tshwane House.
Draft Property Rates Policy and By-law: Send an email to Solly Selepe at sollysel@tshwane.gov.za or hand-deliver comments to the Property Rates Policy and By-law comments box at the reception desk at Tshwane House.
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