DA says no to GMM’s planned increase tariffs
According to the DA councillor, Terry-Lee Kleynhans, they rejected the budget that was proposed for 2025/26 because it would force the residents to dig deeper into their pockets.
The DA in Govan Mbeki said it rejects the 2025/26 budget because it is unfunded and will never improve service delivery.
They are also opposed to the municipality’s tariff increases.
According to the DA councillor, Terry-Lee Kleynhans, they rejected the budget that was proposed for 2025/26 because it would force the residents to dig deeper into their pockets.
“We find it unacceptable that the municipality proposed an unfunded budget, calling for a 15.3% hike in water service charges and a provisional 12.74% increase in electricity. But how will this translate to better service delivery when the current infrastructure cannot do so?
“The proposed budget on the table has a huge financial deficit, which amounts to R400m because the municipality is struggling to implement its financial recovery plans in a way that draws in revenue from the sale of services.
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“To date, poor revenue generation strategies have resulted in R3.3b being owed to the municipality for services provided and this budget does not address service delivery challenges in the municipality and will place consumers under financial strain,” said Kleynhans.
She said the proposed tariff increases are an unfair burden on residents.
“These hikes are being presented as a solution, but they only serve to cover up the municipality’s failure to generate revenue that is sufficient to provide basic services and service their Rand Water and Eskom accounts.
“Alarmingly, these increases come at a time when essential infrastructure in the municipality is on a downward spiral. Residents are already struggling with water interruptions, inconsistent refuse collection, and electricity blackouts.
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“The budget also indicates that there is a decrease in the investment of capital projects, only R216m has been set aside for capital investment. This is a significant decrease from the previous years and it shows that infrastructure is neglected,” said Kleynhans.
Kleynhans said that given the above, her party will also write to the municipal manager, Elliot Maseko, requesting him to consider revising the municipality’s proposed tariff hikes.
Kleynhans said the Govan Mbeki Municipality must revisit its priorities and stop using residents as an excuse for its inability to manage and improve basic services.
“The people in the municipality deserve more than broken promises and unjustified tariff hikes,” said Kleynhans.
