Capetonians have asked the public protector to investigate the city council’s proposed 27% water price rise.
Sandra Dickson‚ of the activist group Stop City of Cape Town‚ said she was part of a group that met the public protector’s representatives in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Dickson told TimesLIVE the officials asked for more information about their complaint and said they would attend a march planned for Friday against the proposed tariff increase.
The 26.96% planned rise in water and sanitation tariffs in the city’s 2018/2019 draft budget has attracted intense criticism‚ including more than 18‚000 comments on Stop CoCT’s website‚ Dear Cape Town.
The march‚ organised by the group Save Cape Town‚ is due to start in Darling Street at 10am and end at parliament‚ where the group will present a memorandum to city officials. Organiser Anne Smith said the council had given permission for a march of up to 3‚000 people.
One of the Dear Cape Town objectors‚ a pensioner named John‚ said the proposed tariff increase would hurt him financially. “Any increases above inflation rate just dip into my meagre savings and are causing lots of worries for future survival‚” he wrote.
Another commenter‚ Marie‚ said the draft budget was unacceptable. “People are cutting back and trying to save water but are still punished‚” she wrote. “Increases should be in line with the inflation rate. Many of us do not receive an annual increase on our salaries or pension.”
Johan van der Merwe‚ the city’s mayoral committee member for finance‚ declined to comment on the public participation process about the draft budget‚ saying he was “not in a position to pre-empt this process or its outcomes.”
Van der Merwe said after the public participation period ended on May 4‚ comments would be combined and sent to relevant departments to be included in the final budget presented to the council on May 30.
A separate march planned for Thursday in Cape Town will include representatives of the Water Crisis Coalition‚ who will also hand in a memorandum‚ said organiser Shaheed Mahomed.
Public protector asked to probe Cape Town's 27% water price hike
Sandra Dickson‚ of the activist group Stop City of Cape Town‚ said she was part of a group that met the public protector’s representatives in Cape Town on Wednesday.
Dickson told TimesLIVE the officials asked for more information about their complaint and said they would attend a march planned for Friday against the proposed tariff increase.
The 26.96% planned rise in water and sanitation tariffs in the city’s 2018/2019 draft budget has attracted intense criticism‚ including more than 18‚000 comments on Stop CoCT’s website‚ Dear Cape Town.
The march‚ organised by the group Save Cape Town‚ is due to start in Darling Street at 10am and end at parliament‚ where the group will present a memorandum to city officials. Organiser Anne Smith said the council had given permission for a march of up to 3‚000 people.
One of the Dear Cape Town objectors‚ a pensioner named John‚ said the proposed tariff increase would hurt him financially. “Any increases above inflation rate just dip into my meagre savings and are causing lots of worries for future survival‚” he wrote.
Another commenter‚ Marie‚ said the draft budget was unacceptable. “People are cutting back and trying to save water but are still punished‚” she wrote. “Increases should be in line with the inflation rate. Many of us do not receive an annual increase on our salaries or pension.”
Johan van der Merwe‚ the city’s mayoral committee member for finance‚ declined to comment on the public participation process about the draft budget‚ saying he was “not in a position to pre-empt this process or its outcomes.”
Van der Merwe said after the public participation period ended on May 4‚ comments would be combined and sent to relevant departments to be included in the final budget presented to the council on May 30.
A separate march planned for Thursday in Cape Town will include representatives of the Water Crisis Coalition‚ who will also hand in a memorandum‚ said organiser Shaheed Mahomed.
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