Durban - As frustrated ratepayers prepare to march to the Durban City Hall today over poor service delivery, the ANC in eThekwini has accused the DA of agitating for ratepayers not to pay their rates.
The party made the claim during a debate yesterday while responding to the State of the City Address given by mayor Mxolisi Kaunda a few weeks ago.
Steep increases have been proposed in the new budget for the 2023/24 financial year that comes into effect on July 1. Some councillors complained that the increases were above inflation and would put ratepayers under pressure.
The budget includes the following proposed tariff increases:
- Property rates: 8.9% average increase.
- Water: 14.9% residential, 15.9% business.
- Sanitation: 11.9% for residential and 12.9% for business.
- Electricity: 21.91% increase for all, subject to approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.
- Refuse: 8% for domestic and 7-9% for sundry and business.
Teddy Govender of the Chatsworth and District Civic Federation said they expected about 5 000 people to take part in the march to City Hall.
“We are saying no rates increases; this march is to show the City that civic society will not stand by any more and accept the rate increases,” he said.
During the debate, ANC councillors said complaints by the DA about the state of the City were unfounded as the party actively undermined everything that the municipality did and promoted Cape Town, where it governed.
The ANC’s Nkosenhle Madlala said: “I agree with ANC councillor Ntando Khuzwayo that the party across (DA) can be characterised as the party of liars and hypocrites. How do you explain that the party complains about service delivery but refuses to support the budget that seeks to address that?”
He accused the DA of driving an agenda to send tourists elsewhere.
DA councillor Yogis Govender said they had been inundated by complaining ratepayers “What do ratepayers think of the leadership you brag about? Go read your own Facebook page and see,” she said.
Govender said their councillors had received instructions from ratepayers to reject the budget and the tariff hikes.
“The ANC became desperate in council today, resorting to screaming insults and racist, defamatory comments at opposition councillors. They were grappling as they were lambasted by most opposition parties and failed to recognise the thousands of residents who have simply had enough. As the DA, we are unfazed by their antics, but make no mistake, they must account for their misconduct,” said Govender.
Council Speaker Thabani Nyawose expressed reservations over the quality of the debate, and said it seemed councillors did not take the matter seriously.
The DA caucus walked out of the debate after being accused by Kaunda of racist tendencies. The majority of the opposition parties were united in saying the mayor’s address was in stark contrast to the realities in KZN’s only metro.
Kaunda dismissed insinuations that the city was collapsing. He said in other cities there was infighting to the point that councillors threw chairs at each other, something that was not happening in eThekwini.