Some political parties pour cold water on Tshwane budget, citing pressure on ratepayers

PRETORIA - Some opposition parties in the City of Tshwane Council have rejected the budget, saying it would heap more pressure on already overburdened taxpayers.

The capital’s 2025/26 budget is up for a vote before the council on Thursday.

Among its many features, the budget includes double-digit tariff hikes for electricity and water, while introducing a new tariff called city cleansing.

The African National Congress (ANC)-led multiparty coalition government is hailing the budget as the city’s first fully funded one since 2021.

Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor, Jacqui Uys, criticised the new tariff targeted at residents using private waste collection services, instead of the city’s.

"It is not clear what this cleansing levy will be used for. If you ask the mayoral committee, their response is that it’s used for waste dumping sites, but private waste collectors already pay when using dumping grounds, so are we now double-charging residents who make use of private waste collectors?”

The Republican Conference of Tshwane councillor, Lex Middelberg, said the budget could drive ratepayers away from the capital.

"The 52% of ratepayers that paid nothing of their rates account to the city in 2023 already, will grow exponentially in the back of this budget. This budget is not the budget that will rescue the city. Hear my words, this budget is the one that will finally break us."