Durban — The eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association, together with the Phoenix Civic Movement, are expected to gather at the Durban City Hall on Monday morning to hand a memorandum to the mayor.
The memorandum details the municipality’s failure to provide adequate service delivery, as required by law.
The association’s actions come in the wake of the city’s announcement of tariff hikes on municipal services.
The group’s chairperson, Ish Prahladh, said it was gathering a lot of ratepayers together to take action.
“On April 14, we sent a letter (to the municipality), and the city acknowledged receiving it. The (association) speaks for all ratepayer associations, civic movements and NGOs in the city.
“We want to know where our money is going, and why the increases are so high. We are paying taxes and rates. We want you, the mayor, to tell us, not the council. Now you must liaise with us. We are tired of his excuses,” said Prahladh.
He said they had received permission to be at the city hall from 10am.
“We got permission from the metro police and the city hall to use Church Walk. As long as the gathering is civilised and there’s no march, it is okay.”
Prahladh said they were tired of not receiving replies from the municipality. He mentioned that areas like Verulam had not had water for months.
He added: “We are fighting for something that is ours. Our money is being put to use for corruption.”
Phoenix Civic Movement chairperson Vivian Pillay said his organisation agreed with the memorandum that would be submitted, and that they had delivered their own memorandum in which they had rejected the ratepayers’ tariff that had been implemented by the municipality. He said there had been no consultation with the councillors.
“It was a unilateral decision by the eThekwini Municipality. Even the councillors don’t represent the community, as they have no mandate. It is a collective grievance,” said Pillay.
He added: “Democracy works with consultation, and not a unilateral decision. Tariffs were increased without consultation. According to my knowledge, the other political parties walked out of the meeting because of no broad consultation or consensus. If you compare it with other parts of the country, we have the highest rates in the country.”
Pillay mentioned that people in Phoenix were struggling with water and electricity costs and making ends meet because the billing was irregular, as it was based on a three-month estimation.
On top of this, they did not receive monthly bills, and this affected especially the poor and elderly, as they had to queue at offices. He said eThekwini Municipality should apply for a bailout.
Pillay said that more than 500 informal settlements in eThekwini did not contribute to rates, and that the mayor had once suggested a R50 flat rate for these people, which they rejected.
Pillay said he felt the Phoenix community was suffering, as they had to subsidise these communities.
Pillay said civic movements were the way to go, as they were on the ground with the people. He said people were fed up with councillors and political parties.
In January this year, a meeting was held by the Westville Ratepayers Association. Its guest speaker, National Taxpayers Union chairperson Jaap Kelder, enumerated the rights of residents and explained the legal basis for what they could do to claim back what is rightfully theirs.
Kelder said: “As a result of eThekwini not promulgating (legislation) for four years, the taxes can be reclaimed from the municipality.”
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