ACDP REACTION TO MAYORS SPEECH WHEN TABLING DRAFT BUDGET:
For 5 years now the ACDP has been calling for a zero % increase in rates accounts to ratepayers because the Cape Town is becoming an unaffordable City to live in.
This year is no exception, but given the extreme drought and the reduced long term rainfall projections, we believe that the Level 3B water restrictions should be kept in place until the start of Winter 2019 and the cost of water to ratepayers must be increased.
The Mayor announced:
- Rates: an average of 5% – down from 6% last year
- Electricity: an average of 3,34% – down from 7,78% last year
- Refuse: an average of 6,51% – down from 7,92% last year
- Disposal: an average of 8,32% – down from 12,08% last year
- Water: an average of 19,25% – up from 9,75% last year
The ACDP says this does not go far enough – These should all be zero % increase. But we fully support the proposed increase in water.
Combining a far higher cost of water while retaining the Level 3B water restrictions, will cement the growing culture of saving water, recycling waste and grey water and harvesting rain water that most ratepayers have implemented.
The City should then use the additional income from water and fines to fast track the building and capacitating brown water recycling / re-use facilities, and subsidise the costs of water management devices to be installed in all households, starting with our poorest neighbours. However this subsidisation proposal does not include the City’s highest water users – in our view the City should install these WMD’s in those households who use the most water, at full cost to them.
