Despite the chronic failure by the ANC-IFP-EFF-NFP-run eThekwini municipality to provide reliable water, sanitation, and electricity services to its millions of residents, the executive committee (exco) has recommended a tariff hike for the three essential services.
The municipality announced on Tuesday that the exco recommended the hike that will come into effect on July 1 this year, when the financial year for municipalities in the country kicks in.
The nod for the hikes was one of the many decisions that were taken by the exco at its meeting, dubiously claiming that they are aimed at accelerating service delivery, strengthening infrastructure, and improving the quality of life for residents.
“The City is recommending a 15 percent increase for domestic water tariffs and a 16 percent increase for non-domestic tariffs, effective from 1 July 2026. The tariffs will support initiatives to reduce water loss and ensure sustainable supply for eThekwini,” it said in a statement.
It also recommended a hike in electricity and sanitation tariffs despite perennial failures to reliably provide both.
“The City is proposing an average increase of 10.5 percent across its electricity tariffs. This adjustment is necessary to address rising bulk purchase costs and maintain electricity infrastructure. The proposed increase remains subject to approval by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.
“The Sanitation Directorate has proposed a 13 percent increase for domestic tariffs and a 14 percent increase for non-domestic tariffs. The Sanitation Directorate provides an essential service which may have an adverse effect on the lives of residents should those services not be available. These services include the reticulation network line that provides transportation of sewage, treatment and disposal of sewage and pollution control.”
Meanwhile, the DA in the council said it is opposed to a plan by the municipality to put water loss charge into a mandatory fixed monthly levy.
The chairperson of the DA’s caucus in the municipality, Alicia Kisoon, said this amounts to a stealth tax on residents and a direct threat to property rights.
“Previously, residents could opt out if they maintained private plumbing insurance. The municipality now seeks to impose this charge on all domestic consumers, regardless of existing cover, effectively forcing a double charge on insured homeowners. By explicitly stating that this levy “shall not constitute an insurance product”, the City is attempting to collect what resembles a premium while avoiding the regulatory protections that govern the insurance industry,” Kisoon said.
She added that further concerns include the forfeiture of unclaimed credit balances to the municipality after just three years.
“This is particularly problematic for deceased estates, where delays at the Master’s Office often exceed this timeframe. The City is effectively positioning itself to absorb funds that rightfully belong to residents and their families. These proposals are compounded by the municipality’s ongoing failure to resolve the estimated billing crisis.
“Before introducing compulsory levies and stricter collection measures, the City must address the integrity of its billing systems. Inaccurate estimated readings continue to produce inflated accounts and prolonged disputes, often creating the very credit balances the City now seeks to forfeit,” Kisoon added.
