Ratepayers threaten to take to streets over planned eThekwini price hikes
Durban ratepayers say they want Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to clearly respond to their concerns over eThekwini's hefty tariff hike proposals.
If the city goes ahead and imposes the tariff hikes, they've threatened to take them to the streets.
The eThekwini Ratepayers, Residents and Civics Association wrote to Kaunda on Monday to voice its opposition to the proposed Integrated Development Plan budget - as well as proposals to hike tariffs.
The mayor revealed last month that the municipality is considering a 14% price hike for electricity, 14.9% for water, and around 10% for refuse collection.
The association's Ish Praladh says they were disappointed when Kaunda failed to attend a meeting with them last week.
READ: Kaunda shuns meeting with ratepayers associations
Speaker Thabani Nyawose stepped in on behalf of the mayor.
"If he puts it on without talking to the ratepayers or civic associations, we are going to get the whole of eThekwini marching with us to City Hall because we are not here to take whatever they reply to,” says Praladh.
“The increases are not just a figure, are not justified, it's above inflation, we can't have those figures, people will suffer."
