Cogta praises eThekwini ratepayers’ fight for service delivery
|Published
Cogta MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi listens as eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM) chairperson Asad Gaffar lists the movement’s grievances. | Tumi Pakkies/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi commended the eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM) for their continual fight for service delivery in eThekwini, as well as for inviting the local government to establish a way forward.
The meeting took place at the Synergy Worldwide Logistics (Pty) Ltd, New Germany, Durban, on Tuesday.
Buthelezi said that Cogta will engage with mayor Cyril Xaba for more engagements between the parties in order to find practical solutions that will work in the interest of ratepayers.
Buthelezi stressed the importance of open dialogue between the municipality and its residents.
“We understand the frustrations experienced by eThekwini residents and we are committed to working collaboratively with the ERPM and the metro to address the substantive issues raised by taxpayers,” said Buthelezi.
Buthelezi added that the meeting was just the beginning of what they believe will be a fruitful journey that will deliver effective and responsive services to the communities. Furthermore, they are committed to engaging all stakeholders within the sphere of local government, as their voice matters if they are to be effective in transforming this sphere.
Buthelezi said that the attitude of the city manager and the municipality was unacceptable despite the multiple letters of grievances.
“The government can’t close a query if the customer is unsatisfied. If there are more than 50 000 households with issues, that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
Buthelezi concluded by saying the meeting had been enlightening and thanked ERPM chairperson Asad Gaffar and the rest of the organisation for applying pressure for the concerns and challenges that ratepayers were facing.
Former city manager Dr Mike Sutcliffe said that along with former top civil servant Cassius Lubisi, their first step was to do a diagnostic to try to understand the nature of the problem.
“The MEC asked me to attend the meeting with him and listen to the process that the ERPM have been engaging in. I explained to them that our role right now isn’t to draw a conclusion after the meeting,” Sutcliffe said.
Sutcliffe added that it was a big concern when they sat and heard the issues raised by the ERPM and all the documentation that they provided.
Sutcliffe committed to doing a diagnostic, which they will submit to Buthelezi within the next 10 days, and from that, strategies that they believe should be implemented.
Gaffar said the meeting was encouraging as they stuck to their stance and were very clear with the government officials present. He added that the ball was now in their court and they hoped there would be a positive outcome following the meeting.
Gaffar said he hoped the meeting wasn’t just a talk session, as it was important for government involvement to find common ground.
“If it isn’t to our liking, we shall continue to apply pressure,” Gaffar said.
The meeting mainly addressed these two topics:
- 6kl Backdated Charges: The ERPM displayed a presentation on the issue of 6kl backdated charges, followed by a discussion on the impact on ratepayers and requested resolution.
- Billing Errors: The ERPM expressed concerns about billing errors; and estimated billing (inconsistent and erratic meter readings).
Other topics included:
- 80/20 Electricity Programme: The ERPM queried the 20% portion of the programme and asked where the 20% was and why it was not reflected in the budget or credited to arrears on accounts.
- Infrastructure Surcharge. The ERPM was concerned about the infrastructure surcharge; lack of ring-fencing; hidden in the budget as surplus; absence of consultation for roll-over to the new financial year.
- Indigent Programme: The ERPM raised a concern regarding the indigent programme; inaccessibility across four units; and the appearance of a broken system.
- Service Delivery Issues: The ERPM highlighted concerns regarding service delivery; raw sewage issues across the metro; call centre inefficiencies and lack of training and customer care; fault reporting failures and its solution.
- Land invasions: The ERPM raised concerns about planning department inefficiency and irregularities; encroachment and overburdened infrastructure.
- Conclusion and Next Steps: This included a summary of discussions and agreements, and the next steps and action items for the Cogta MEC and ERPM.
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