The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) is just as upset as the residents of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging) about the Municipality charging an unlawful water levy to the utility accounts of residents who do not use municipal water.
This mainly applies to people with boreholes that are not registered with the Municipality.
A levy for 30 kl is charged to such a household’s account, which means that they now have to pay R3 000 per month for water they do not use. Water consumption in Emfuleni is measured on a sliding scale: 0 to 10 kl pays R25 per kilolitre, 10 to 20 kl pays R35 per kilolitre and, 20 to 30 kl pays R42 per kilolitre.
If residents fail to pay this levy, their other services will be cut off.
The Freedom Front Plus suspects this is the Municipality’s way of forcing residents to register their boreholes.
The party is not opposed to registering boreholes, as recommended by the Water Council, but expects the Municipality to at least send a circular to residents informing them of the conditions for boreholes.
Residents with registered boreholes do not need to pay a levy, but their sewage tariff is higher.
At present, the levy is unlawful and the Freedom Front Plus has already sent a letter to the Municipality, requesting that the levy be scrapped until the relevant by-law has been amended.
Residents cannot be expected to pay for water they do not use and probably never will use. It is totally unfair.
Instead of trying to milk already overtaxed residents for more money, the Municipality should rather focus on spending its tax money wisely and cracking down on defaulters.
Then service delivery will not be such a huge crisis.
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