Revised eThekwini tariffs ‘not good enough’

The municipality announced on Monday that it has adjusted the figures, following concerns from residents about the proposed increases for the current financial year.

Water tariff increases for households have been lowered from 15% to 13%.

Businesses will see a drop from 16% to 14%.

There have been no changes though to the proposed increases for electricity which remains at 12.72%.

Hikes for property rates have been adjusted from 6.5% to 5.9% while refuse collection services have been reduced from around 10% to 9%.

Ish Praladh, who is with eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association, says the revised hikes don't go far enough to ease the financial pressure on residents and businesses.

"It's going to cripple the economy. A lot of businesses won't be able to afford keeping their businesses open.

"So, if the municipality [doesn't] rethink this issue there [are] going to be serious repercussions on the ratepayer, the residents and their community, really."