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ActionSA notes the blatantly dishonest press statement released by the DA in Tshwane today, falsely claiming that the City’s draft budget, set to be tabled this week, imposes unfair increases on residents.

Failed former Finance MMC Jacqui Uys sites two issues, the new property valuation roll and a Cleansing Levy.

The renewal of the property valuation roll was initiated by Uys and Brink themselves, as required by legislation, and has resulted in an overall increase of 24% over five years. Comparatively, this is significantly lower than the 37.5% imposed by the DA in the 2020 valuation roll.

The DA has disingenuously called on the City not to raise property rates due to the new valuation roll, when in reality, the draft budget tabled by the administration already goes further by reducing the property rates tariff to compensate for the fact that it will be applied to higher property valuations in the new roll. The new valuation roll also raises the residential rates threshold.

The DA is equally dishonest about the cleansing levy, misleading residents into believing it affects everyone. This is factually incorrect. It is a dedicated surcharge on the small number of residents and businesses that use private refuse collection services, which ultimately dispose of waste in city-operated landfill sites. The management of these sites costs all residents in the City of Tshwane, and the fact that some have been able to use them free of charge is an injustice to those who have paid over the years.

Despite the DA’s feeble efforts to portray the multi-party coalition in Tshwane as indifferent to the economic pressures on households, the truth is quite different. Beyond the interventions mentioned above, the City has also gone to great lengths to minimise tariff increases and has even absorbed increases imposed by Rand Water and Eskom.

This has been achieved while producing a draft budget which will stabilize the finances of the city and prioritise delivery of services across all communities. For this, ActionSA applauds Mayor Nasiphi Moya and her multi-party coalition.

This latest desperate effort, in a long line of such actions, once again serves to demonstrate the insecurities that cripple the DA as the myth of their good governance in Tshwane is being exposed by a more competent, more qualified and more effective Mayor.

ActionSA suggests that the DA should avoid discussing the subject of additional taxes while they participate in a GNU that has tabled a budget with increases both in terms of VAT and personal income tax. Their efforts may be better served at addressing this problem rather than manufacturing problems in a city that actually addressed the question of the affordability of its services before tabling its budget.  

Following the tabling of the draft budget this week, the city will embark upon a considerable programme of public consultation whereupon its tariffs and proposed budgets will be engaged by residents and communities. ActionSA calls upon all stakeholders to participate in this process now that it is led by a more responsive and caring government.

Issued by ActionSA National Chairperson Michael Beaumont