Emalahleni braces for a massive proposed 21% hike in water tariff
Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meetings are currently being held. The community are encouraged to attend.
Local households will need to tighten their belts as the municipality proposes an aggressive and costly new tariff structure.
If approved, water and sanitation costs could soar by 21%, electricity by 10%, and refuse and property rates by 3.7%.
In a leaked document obtained by WITBANK NEWS, the municipality stated that these proposed tariffs will likely exceed what the average household can afford, risking a further surge in unpaid municipal bills.
The backdrop to these increases is the municipality’s ongoing inability to service its debt to Eskom, which has now officially breached the R12 billion mark.
Between September 2023 and December 2025, the municipality managed to pay only 31% of its Eskom account, resulting in a R3.5 billion shortfall in that period alone.
This debt has skyrocketed over the past decade, ballooning from R990 million in 2016 to the current R12.2 billion crisis.
The DA’s spokesperson on CoGHSTA, James Masango, lashed out, accusing the municipality of losing all control over its finances.
In light of the latest figures and the proposed hike in tariffs, the DA has renewed urgent calls for Premier Mandla Ndlovu to place the municipality under provincial administration.
This intervention would strip the municipal leadership of certain powers in an attempt to steer the entity toward a financial turnaround.
Emalahleni residents are urged to attend IDP Imbizo sessions starting tomorrow to engage on service delivery and municipal planning
— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) April 21, 2026
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