Residents of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro (NMBM) are facing a huge financial challenge with the new tariff hikes proposed in the Metro’s draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year.
These tariff hikes are as follows:
• Power increases by 12,74%
• Water and Sanitation by 5,5%
• Property taxes by 5%
• Refuse removal by 6%
These increases will put even more pressure on households and businesses already struggling to keep head above water.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) took a strong stance against the planned tariff hikes that will hamper economic growth and overburden taxpayers.
Although service delivery is already falling far short, the ANC/EFF and their coalition partners are determined to continue with their “assistance to the poor” (ATTP) programme that chiefly benefits their voters. This programme makes more and more families dependent on government aid, which only exacerbates poverty in the Metro.
The Freedom Front Plus implored the Metro to turn its focus to debt collection, and removing illegal power and water connections instead.
Statistics show that power losses currently stand at 23,65%, while approximately 40 MWh of free basic electricity is supplied to needy households.
The Freedom Front Plus requested that the proposed tariff hikes be reconsidered, and that all municipal tariff hikes be limited to a maximum of 5%.
The party also wrote to the Speaker, Eugene Johnson, requesting that the current administration consider the proposal to rather focus on debt collection as a means to increase its revenue stream.
The Freedom Front Plus remains determined to fight for taxpayers’ rights and will continue to put pressure on local government to find fair and sustainable solutions.
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