Yesterday, during a Council meeting, ANC councillors in the City of Matlosana illegally approved the 2021/22 budget with steep increases in electricity, water and municipal accounts tariffs, the DA said on Tuesday.
“Section 160 3(b) of the Constitution and the Municipal Structures Act, Section 30(2), clearly states that a full majority of councillors is required to pass a budget, not a simple majority of those present,” said Cllr Elmarie Postma, DA Caucus Leader in the City of Matlosana.
“The City of Matlosana council has 77 councillors and to pass the budget, at least 40 councillors need to vote in favour of adopting the budget for it to be legally approved.”
The 14 DA councillors, one EFF and four FF Plus councillors rejected the adoption of the budget, leaving 32 councillors in favour. The vote was short eight additional councillors in support of the budget to meet the majority requirement of 40 votes in favour.
Postma said that despite being forewarned about the legal implications and the legislative requirements to carry a vote in favour of the budget, ANC councillors bulldozed the budget adoption through Council.
“The failure to meet the legal requirements of passing the budget renders all expenditure incurred by the municipality in the new financial year as unauthorised and irregular and the tariff increases illegal,” said Postma.
The budget made provision for an average increase of 10% to normal household accounts, tariffs for electricity was raised to 14.95%, the water tariff was increased by 8% and sanitation and property rates increased by 6%.
The most shocking tariff increase was for the removal of refuse which increased by 20%, yet across Matlosana regular refuse removal is nearly non-existent.
Through these increases, households will pay an additional R300 to R500 on their municipal accounts.
“It is concerning that the Executive Mayor, Maetu Kgaile, and ANC councillors did not consider the implications these steep increases will have on the community and their ability to pay their municipal accounts,” Postma said in the statement.
Payment of municipal accounts has been on the decline for several years now as more and more people lose their jobs as a result of the declining economy.
Postma added that it seems the ANC’s only concern is to have a funded budget and to extract every last cent from residents and offering no improvement on service delivery.
Matlosana has struggled for years to ensure a funded budget and although this budget is considered funded, it was done on the projection that 70% of municipal accounts will be paid. The reality is that the current payment rate is below 60%.
“It is a slap in the face of residents forcing them to pay more for less service delivery,” Postma said.
- Press Release by the DA Press Office
