New Tshwane city cleansing levy set aside by Gauteng High Court
In May, Tshwane passed its budget for the current financial year, which included a new R194 a month tariff for customers using private waste collection.
Jacaranda trees in the City of Tshwane. Picture: South African Tourism/Flickr
JOHANNESBURG - The Tshwane municipality’s newly introduced city cleansing levy has been set aside by the Gauteng High Court, following a challenge by lobby group AfriForum.
In May, Tshwane passed its budget for the current financial year, which included a new R194 a month tariff for customers using private waste collection.
In its papers, AfriForum said the capital was unfairly taxing residents who established their own means to dispose of their waste because of the municipality’s inefficiencies.
In a ruling handed down on Thursday, the High Court declared the levy unlawful, ordering the city to immediately stop billing residents and reimburse those it already has.
The Democratic Alliance (DA)’s Tshwane spokesperson on finance, Jacqui Uys, said this was a victory for the residents of the city.
"In February this year, the DA started advocating to the ANC [African National Congress] government to not introduce any new taxes on our residents.
"Since then, we have repeatedly warned the government of the day to not use the residents of Tshwane as cash cows."