The move, initiated by the GTCoC (Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce) is also a response to continuing management instability and “endless” factionalism undermining revenue collection and service delivery.

This includes efforts by ELM council to again attempt to suspend Municipal Manager Lucky Leseane but with no apparent effort to suspend CFO Andile Dyakala, an alleged serial offender in gross misconduct and negligent mismanagement of ELM finances.

“As ELM is not implementing service delivery comprehensively in the first place, why are we not in fact seeing a move to decrease tariffs as costs should in fact be reduced, is it because the increases go to pay service providers who are either non-existent or do not even provide a modicum of service but get paid anyway? Why?” asked GTCoC CEO Klippies Krotzinger.

Kritzinger cited huge costs on security, but yet ELM was regularly plundered by criminals and even council meetings regularly disrupted by protesters, allowing officials to often take many days off.

The GTCoC, Emfuleni Ratepayers Association (ERPA) and Emfuleni for Change (EFC) formed a united front to reject latest official budgetary proposals for 2021/2022 as contained in the ELM Integrated Development Plan (IDP).

The three organisations, which have formed a highly effective business activist and municipal repurposing alliance over the past few years, were unanimous in their rejection of the latest budgetary proposals at a public meeting last week held by Executive Mayor Gift Moerane.

This was despite Mayor Moerane saying he would freeze municipal tariff increases but exclude sky-high water and electricity tariff rates and increases.

“As a business coalition and alliance, the GTCoC, ERPA and EFC firmly believe it is time to focus on the top management of ELM and the political leadership in the ELM Council itself.

“We therefore demand that independent and comprehensive lifestyle audits be held from the Mayor downwards and from the Council Speaker downwards to address the root causes of ELM incapacity.

“It is clear any increases are aimed at compensating for the management failings and corruption of both ELM administration and the clear failings of the entire political structure of the ELM Council,” said GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger.