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DONDERDAG 21 AUGUSTUS 2014
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DIE man het verlede week in een van Sedibeng-water se klepkaste langs die Riebeeckstad-Hennenman-pad gebad. Links lê die man se seep en klere. Volgens Deon Dippenaar van Sedibeng-water is dit die hoofpypleiding wat water van Riebeeckstad na Hennenman voer. Hy sê klepkaste word gedurig deur zama-zamas en beeswagters beskadig, maar hy het Vista verseker die druk in die pypleiding is so hoog water kan nie terugvloei nie. Inwoners sal dus nie sommer ’n veldbewoner se badwater drink nie. Foto: Alet van der Walt
Tariff structure illegal Petition and Constitution ignored by Matjhabeng Municipality Marti Will WHOEVER applied the new electrical tariff structure and increases for Matjhabeng, is acting outside of the ambit of the law, says André Styger, DA councillor serving on the Finance Committee of the Matjhabeng Municipality. “Residents must be credited with any excess increase over that which was approved by council (7,8%) in the 2014-’15 budget. The official or officials who implemented these changes must be brought to task. Nothing in this regard has been approved by council,” he says. From billing changes contained in the July end municipal accounts just received by ratepayers, it has become apparent that the Matjhabeng Municipality has separated its electricity billing structure into winter and summer
tariffs, with virtually unaffordable tariff increases in both divisions. Vista became aware of this when we received a reader’s letter from Paul Randall in Virginia (see page 4). He wrote, amongst others: “On the statement new tariffs are quoted for winter and summer and increases range from 34% to 52%. This can only be described as blatant robbery.” Vista previously reported about the approved 7,8% tariff increase on the new budget. This was preceded by 5 000 residents of Matjhabeng signing a protest petition, which the executive mayor of Matjhabeng, Sebenzile Ngangelizwe, and his ANC cohorts chose to ignore. In an urgent media enquiry in this regard, Vista asked not to be ignored. Vista asked Ngangelizwe, who
‘This proved to the RPA that the mayor and his municipality has a total disregard for the wi shes of the consumer.’ – Evyn Thorne decided to split the tariff structure to include winter and summer tariffs, who decided to circumvent the 7,8% approved budget tariff increase and who decided to implement uneconomical and unaffordable increases. These increases range between 18% and 23,6% (this was calculated for Vista by the Matjhabeng Ratepayers Association).
Vista also enquired if any form of consultation with the residents was followed. Vista also asked when the mayor was going to respond to the 5 000 residents who signed the petition protesting the 2014-’15 budget and its unconstitutional increases. The silence from the municipality is deafening. Evyn Thorne, president of the Matjhabeng Ratepayers Association (RPA), says this turn of events is unconstitutional, criminal and totally unacceptable. The RPA is now going to approach the Department of Co-operative Governance (Cogta) to step in and take over Matjhabeng’s financial affairs. “Cogta must seriously investigate these breaches of financial maladministration,” says Thorne. He says Ngangelizwe treated the
receipt of the 5 000 signature petition with the utmost disdain. “This proved to the RPA that the mayor and his municipality has a total disregard for the wishes of the consumer.” Thorne says the huge and draconian increases come because of the Matjhabeng financial department’s inability to pay the huge Eskom bill. “This is tantamount to maladministration, and this is why the RPA is to request Cogta to step in. We have already contacted them and will apply to have Matjhabeng placed under administration. We, the residents, have strong grounds for a dispute with the municipality. This problem must be brought to the attention of the national treasury. “We are way past asking the province to help us,” says Thorne.
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