Here are the proposed tariff hikes for the 2024/25 financial year. Image: City of Johannesburg.
Outrage over proposed tariff hikes in the City of Johannesburg
The DA has criticised the proposed tariff hikes in the City of Johannesburg citing lack of basic service provision, especially water.
Here are the proposed tariff hikes for the 2024/25 financial year. Image: City of Johannesburg.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng says the proposed tariff hikes in the City of Johannesburg are absurd considering the absence of essential service provision.
The proposed hikes come as most residents in Johannesburg grapple with a water crisis, among other challenges.
PROPOSED TARIFF HIKES IN THE CITY OF JOHANNESBURG
The proposed tariff increases are as follows:
- Rates: +4.8%
- Electricity: +11.3%
- Water: +7.7%
- Sewer: +7.7%
- Pikitup: +5.9%
- City Power Service & Capacity Charges: +16.74%.
- Sewer Charges: Flats are now classed as multi-dwellings. Multi-dwellings under R700 000 value charged R314.68 per unit. Over R700 000 is R612.58 per unit.
- Prepaid Electricity Changes are to be split into two categories:
- Low Users (indigent customers): +6.36%
- High Users (regular customers): +18.84%
- High Users will also pay R244.2 Service Charge plus R237.3 Capacity Charge (both plus VAT)
- Approximately R553.73 a month increase (with VAT) for prepaid customers plus 18.84% increase in electricity use.
These are the official increases that were effective from 1 July 2023:
- Water – 9.3%
- Electricity – 14.97%
- Property rates – 2%
- Refuse collection – 7%
- Sanitation – 9.3%
DA CRITICISES PROPOSED INCREASES
The DA has slammed the tariff hikes proposed by the City of Johannesburg, saying they come alongside a wholly unfit budget that is seemingly designed to suppress the city’s residents’ needs.
DA Johannesburg Caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said they have on more than one occasion requested for the City of Johannesburg to not thumb suck when making budget adjustments, to no avail.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said they highlighted the problems in the adjustment budget when it was tabled. However, the current administration refuses to engage all councillors representing residents.
“This becomes increasingly clear as they continue to steamroll reports through the Council. Public participation on the proposed increases will commence soon, we encourage residents to have their voices heard by actively partaking in this process,” she said.
CITY JUSTIFIES HIKE
Regarding the proposed water increase, the City of Johannesburg said South Africa is considered a country where water scarcity is a real threat.
The metropolitan municipality said the approach to the structure of the proposed tariff is to emphasise the importance of water as a scarce resource and create a culture of controlled consumption.
Fortunately, the first six kl will be provided free for residential customers. However, on average, all the other residential postpaid and prepaid water bands will be increased by 7.7%.
Weighing in on the current water crisis, City of Johannesburg mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda told the Daily Maverick that several areas in the metro have experienced water outages at some point. These have been isolated or linked to several factors, such as power outages, vandalism, infrastructure theft, etc.
Furthermore, he said the City’s current water and sanitation infrastructure backlog is estimated to be R27 billion, and the City is spending only R1 billion annually on infrastructure. Ideally, this should be R3 billion to attend to the backlogs decisively.
