Cape Town residents are standing together to oppose the Drought Charge the City of Cape town is planning to impose from 01 February 2018. This Drought Charge is based on the value of resident’s properties and moves away from a consumption based charge for water. In 2017 the City of Cape Town already approved a similar daily surcharge on electricity which will add around R250 to an electricity bill before a light was switched on. The city is generally moving away from a consumption based tariff system for both electricity and water. The additional water/electricity charges will add a whopping R500 to a property owner’s municipal account in the form of a tax.
The City of Cape Town has chosen to have the Public Participation process over the busy holiday season when many people will be away and not give the Water Charge much thought. The Public Participation process runs from 5 December 2017 to 12 January 2018. We at STOP COCT are of the opinion that it is underhanded tactics on behalf of the City and we encourage all residents to get involved now before the closing date of 12 January 2018.
STOP COCT therefore created a unique website at www.dearcapetown.co.za which receives resident’s comments and routes them to the City of Cape Town individually. STOP COCT believes that with this portal, residents have an easier route to have their objections heard by the City of Cape Town. Each resident also receives proof that their comment has been received by the City. One fascinating feature of the website is a live feed of comments made by the public, most of which reflect high levels of anger and frustration towards the city.
In spite of the difficult time chosen by CoCT for Public Participation, comments are flying in with over 2200 comments received so far on www.dearcapetown.co.za
Cape Town Image: French guntowers in Nouadhibou, Mauritania