Following pressure from the Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus), the Ekurhuleni Metro’s Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Jongizizwe Dlabathi, acknowledged that a notice for a planned public participation meeting about municipal tariffs on 13 September in Brakpan was mistakenly sent out and that the Metro had not officially approved it.
This acknowledgment means that the meeting cannot be considered a lawful public participation process.
The party intervened as soon as it found out about the planned meeting, which had neither been officially advertised nor had parties been officially notified of it or held a caucus information session.
The step violates the legal requirements for public participation processes as outlined in the Municipal Systems Act, as well as a council resolution stipulating that a public participation process must precede any tariff adjustments.
Without a lawful and transparent process, any tariff increases – including the basic electricity charge, network access charge and demand/kVA charges – are unenforceable, thus exposing Ekurhuleni to litigation, refunds and cash-flow risks.
Residents have already indicated to the Freedom Front Plus that they would withhold payments until legal certainty regarding the tariffs has been obtained – a direct result of the flawed public participation process.
This may not only jeopardise service delivery, but also payments to Eskom and Rand Water as well as the Metro’s financial sustainability.
The Freedom Front Plus put the following requirements regarding the public participation process to the Metro:
- A comprehensive schedule for each region outlining dates, times and venues for tariff-related public participation meetings.
- A register of publication, including website, social media, newspaper and poster evidence with timestamps and approval records.
- Caucus information sessions for all political parties prior to public meetings.
- A standardised information package (FAQ) on the respective charges for councillors, customer service centres and residents.
- Interim protection for consumers currently embroiled in disputes, i.e., suspending service disconnections, penalties or new interest until the lawful process has been completed.
The Freedom Front Plus undertakes to share the official dates and venues with the public as soon as it has received the information so as to mobilise residents to participate.
Tariff increases affect every household and business, and the process must be conducted in accordance with the law and principles of transparency.
The Freedom Front Plus will keep holding Ekurhuleni while protecting residents’ interests until this matter has been fully and lawfully resolved.
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