The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) rejects the Ekurhuleni Metro’s draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year, viewing it as a declaration of war on taxpayers which offers no growth or stability.
The budget reflects financial decline, exorbitant tariff increases and a municipality that has lost control. It merely punishes taxpayers.
Under the guise of “financial sustainability,” substantial tariff increases are imposed on residents while service delivery keeps declining.
The proposed tariff increases are as follows:
- Water: +15%
- Sanitation: +10%
- Electricity: up to +12,74% (Nersa)
- Refuse removal: +6%
Residents must give more but keep getting less: water and power outages, potholes, decaying infrastructure and a Metro where service delivery has ground to a halt.
The collection rate of 86,52% at the end of the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year still falls far short of the budget target of 90%. The Metro has poor liquidity and its current reliance on tariff increases is unsustainable.
Over R2 billion is lost annually due to excessive consumption by so-called indigent residents who have unrestricted access to free services without any control or monitoring.
The Metro clearly lacks the ability and political will to address this issue.
Although the budget boasts six so-called “mayoral pillars”, it offers no concrete plan, no budgetary guarantees and no tangible progress in areas such as infrastructure, maintenance or economic growth.
A service delivery and budget implementation plan was not tabled to the Council during the meeting, yet councillors are expected to approve a R65,5 billion budget.
The Freedom Front Plus, furthermore, also does not support the outcome of the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) public participation process in April. Community inputs were simply ignored and not incorporated into the final document.
The Freedom Front Plus demands the following:
- immediately freezing the proposed tariff hikes;
- a forensic audit of the apparent uncontrolled consumption of free services; and
- tax money should be used for maintaining and upgrading infrastructure, not paying excessive salaries.
This budget is neither credible, fair nor in the best interest of Ekurhuleni residents. The Freedom Front Plus will continue to fight for financial discipline, accountability and proper service delivery to law-abiding residents.
FF+ Manifesto on E-governance: Improving government services through technology.
Spoiler
Fun South African Fact: South African Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first heart transplant on 3 December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. The groundbreaking surgery was carried out on Louis Washkansky and Dr. Barnard was assisted by a large and exceptional team of surgeons, nurses and technicians. One of Dr. Barnard’s assistants was Hamilton Naki, a black laboratory assistant who had worked previously as a gardener and went on to work in the animal laboratory at the University of Cape Town. He had assisted Dr Barnard with research leading to the transplant. In the apartheid days, Naki had no access to higher education due to his race. Despite being unable to access formal training, he learned from and assisted university researchers and went on to do amazing work.
Mother Hen
Van der Merwe was watching a rugby test against the British Lions at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria. In the packed stadium, there was only one empty seat – next to Van der Merwe.
\”Who does that seat belong to?\” asked his neighbour.
\”It\’s for my wife.\”
\”But why isn\’t she here?\”
\”She died.\”
\”So why didn\’t you give the ticket to one of your friends?\”
\”They\’ve all gone to the funeral.\”