Residents are gatvol of the ANC-led eThekwini Metro Municipality and its plan to squeeze funds from vulnerable residents of the city. The ANC has unashamedly plotted to extort an additional R1.50 per kilolitre of water from residents for the next three years.
This is on top of recently imposed electricity rate hike of above 14% on residents struggling to make ends meet in a poor economy and the recent government-imposed lockdown.
The municipality, through the endorsement of self-interested councillors, is unilaterally imposing rate hikes and levies without bothering to consult with residents. A clear indication that council members are failing to appreciate the hardships faced by residents who are also battling with unprecedented load shedding; the present plan will only serve to punish the residents of eThekwini for the ANC government’s own failures.
In the true style of the corrupt – ANC, eThekwini councillors will continue to draw exorbitant salaries that are paid for by the struggling citizens. These ANC councillors will remain financially unaffected by lockdown while failing to protect the people that elected them to office.
ActionSA KZN Provincial Chairperson, Dr Khoza, said “I am Gatvol of the ANC that continues to feed itself off the back of financially struggling residents of eThekwini. We have desensitised councillors who are unaffected by covid-19 restrictions. It is time to take action against eThekwini Municipality. ActionSA stands ready to provide real service delivery to residents and end the present broken political system in the city.”
The metro cannot continue to punish residents for its service delivery failures. Recently, Dr Khoza uncovered leaking and malfunctioning stormwater pipes in ward 47 in KwaMashu that continue to plague residents; this is compounded by housing still made of asbestos and which poses a health risk to residents. We have already written to eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, demanding an urgent response to these matters. Should the Mayor fail to respond to these matters, ActionSA will lodging complaint with the South African Humans Rights Commission and the Office of the Public Protector.
Dr Khoza said “It has become blatantly clear that the ANC led eThekwini has no intentions of spending the allocated budget to address service delivery matters but rather wants to siphon funds for its cronies and continue to fight internal squabbles as numerous councillors and heads of departments have bodyguards that are paid for through the hard-earned cash of residents.“
The people of eThekwini are gatvol. ActionSA is calling on all residents, neighbourhood watches, ratepayers associations and other civil organisations to take over the running of eThekwini by electing councillor candidates who will not betray the plight of the people who will elect them to office. It is time to take our city back from the money laundering, unscrupulous individuals that seek to bleed residents dry.
