Rates Ammendments
From "Comment on Amendments to 2026/27 March Tabled Budget"
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I am writing to formally log my strongest objection to the proposed amendments to property rates and service tariffs for the upcoming financial year.
As a resident and ratepayer, the continuous upward trajectory of municipal bills is becoming financially unsustainable. More importantly, it is fundamentally unjust. The City continues to aggressively adjust its billing structures while failing to provide a logical, proportionate link between the fees levied and the actual services rendered on the ground.
My objection focuses specifically on the following points:
1. Misrepresentation of the "Cleaning Service" Tariff
The City has consistently billed residential properties for a "city-wide cleaning" fee. I must categorically state that the City has never once cleaned inside my yard or provided any direct cleaning service to my actual residential property.
Charging an individual homeowner a specific, escalating tariff under the guise of a residential property service when no physical service is delivered to that property is completely disingenuous. It forces individual households to foot the bill for generalized municipal responsibilities out of their own pockets.
2. Disregard for the Law (The High Court Ruling)
The Western Cape High Court recently vindicated ratepayers by declaring the City’s property value-based fixed charges—specifically including this exact "city-wide cleaning tariff"—invalid, unconstitutional, and unlawful. The court explicitly affirmed that under the Municipal Systems Act, service tariffs must be linked to actual consumption, measurable usage, or direct service availability.
By attempting to squeeze these costs into our bills, the City is bypassing basic local government legislation. Shifting these funds around or continuing to aggressively hike rates to cover generalized cleaning functions fails the basic test of fairness.
3. Financial Overburdening of Ratepayers
While the City boasts about infrastructure investment, it is doing so by fleecing dedicated, law-abiding ratepayers who are already buckling under high inflation and a steep cost of living. We cannot continue to pay more and more every year for "services" that are invisible on our own doorsteps.
Conclusion & Demand for Action
Scrap or heavily rebate any generalized "cleaning" charges on residential accounts where no direct, measurable cleaning service is actively performed on the property.
Align the final 2026/2027 budget strictly with national legislation, ensuring that residents are only billed service tariffs for services they actually consume or directly benefit from.
Halt above-inflation increases on property rates that penalize property owners without a corresponding increase in municipal efficiency or local service delivery.
I expect the City to genuinely consider these comments during the budget finalization process, rather than treating public participation as a mere box-ticking exercise.