The area went almost 100 days without power in 2023. Now residents in other areas are contemplating rates boycotts over municipal service breakdowns.
After seven years of extended electricity outages, the Kya Sand Association, representing some 60 businesses north of Johannesburg, decided it had enough and threatened a rates boycott.
“There are some large businesses here, but it’s mostly small, three or four people businesses that cannot afford generators and solar power backup systems. Whether the threat of the rates boycott made the needed R22 million materialise or not is unknown, but the fact is that the problem was solved. Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda told a media briefing last week that a rates boycott would lead to a complete collapse of the municipality, adding that these were politically motivated attempts to undermine black leadership.Read/listen: NPO calls on civil society to unite against Joburg water crisis
Read: Water is being sold illegally in eThekwini Calls for parliamentary inquiry into eThekwini water crisis Class action lawyer Richard Spoor commented on X : “Once a municipality stops providing water it loses all authority and influence over residents. Of course they will stop paying rates and taxes. What is the municipality going to do? Cut off their water?”
Disgruntled residents generally divert rates into a suspense account under their control until such time as the municipality accedes to their demands.
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