ActionSA says won't support CoJ budget unless R200 electricity surcharge scrapped
Finance MMC Margaret Arnolds is scheduled to deliver her budget speech in council on Wednesday.
A prepaid electricity meter and an electricity mains unit. Picture: @CityofCT/X
JOHANNESBURG - ActionSA in Johannesburg has announced it will not support the metro's proposed budget if it includes a R200 electricity surcharge.
Finance MMC Margaret Arnolds is scheduled to deliver her budget speech in council at midday.
The party is one of several in the municipal council urging the metro to ease the burden of rising electricity costs on residents.
READ: CoJ wants to incerase electricity surcharge to R270 a month
When ActionSA agreed to join the African National Congress (ANC)’s camp in 2024, one of its key conditions was the removal of the R200 electricity surcharge.
The ANC had assured ActionSA, the surcharge would be scrapped before the start of the new financial year, which starts on 1 July.
However, Mayor Dada Morero announced during his State of the City Address earlier in May that the surchage is here to stay.
It’s for this reason that ActionSA chief whip, Lebo Modukanene said the party won’t back the budget.
“We saw in the adjustment budget that it was not scrapped, and they said it would be scrapped in the budget, but we are still going to find the surcharge. This means more strain or burden will still be placed on residents to fund this budget.”
She said the surcharge was a deal breaker for ActionSA’s relationship with the ANC.