Cleansing levy: Court rules against the charge
The Gauteng High Court has thrown out the controversial cleansing levy slapped on residents and businesses. The judge declared the tariff invalid, ordered the metro to halt all billing, and refund affected ratepayers.
The metro’s attempt to enforce a cleansing levy on residents and businesses has been declared unlawful and invalid, and has been set aside by the Gauteng High Court.
The judgment, made on July 31, follows an urgent court application launched by civil organisation AfriForum.
AfriForum argued that the metro failed to follow due process when introducing the R194.37 monthly levy, including a failure to consider public input and non-compliance with legal requirements.
During court proceedings, the civil organisation asked the court not only to scrap the levy but to prohibit the metro from publishing the by-law supporting it, and to reverse all billing to date.
The court ruled in AfriForum’s favour, stating that the metro’s actions fell short of its legal obligations and that any attempt to recover funds through the levy must cease immediately.
It ruled that any residents or businesses already billed must be credited in the next billing cycle.
“This decision followed a special motion hearing held on July 24, allocated by the Acting Judge President, following an urgent request for judicial case management,” the ruling read.
AfriForum contended that the cleansing levy, imposed as of July 1 for the 2025/26 financial year, was unlawful, irrational, and effectively amounted to an illegal tax.
It argued that many affected residents and businesses do not receive municipal waste collection services and have, for years, had to arrange and pay for private disposal methods.
“In its defence, the metro relied on a 2016 Waste Management By-law and Section 75A of the Municipal Systems Act, but the court found this argument lacking in substance,” the court ruling stated.
“The by-law was never promulgated and, therefore, had no legal force.”
AfriForum further argued that the metro failed to publish or follow the required steps when determining the levy, failed to consider submissions from the public, and could not identify the residents or businesses that receive the services the levy was intended to fund.
The metro’s blanket justification that ‘many ratepayers’ benefit was dismissed by the court as ‘vague and unsupported’.
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