Tshwane runs to appeals court over its waste collection levy

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality said it’s not giving up its fight to impose a city-cleansing levy, saying it will be approaching the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA).

The municipality introduced the levy in July this year, charging customers who use private waste collection services a R194 a month tariff.

However, lobby group AfriForum took the municipality to the Pretoria High Court, where the levy was ruled unlawful.

The municipality subsequently applied for leave to appeal the decision; however, that was also rejected.

Despite the city cleansing levy being ruled unlawful by the courts, some residents in Tshwane are still being billed for it.

The levy affects about 250-thousand residents and businesses who use private waste collection services instead of the one provided by the city.

Speaking at an event today, Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya said the capital is taking its fight to the SCA in Bloemfontein.

“And the reason why we need to do so is because the city has a by-law, where the city cleansing levy is a levy which we are allowed to levy as the City of Cape Town is doing. We need to the courts to tell us whether us, as the City of Tshwane, we have a right to levy this or not.”

Moya said the striking down of the levy doesn’t affect the city’s funded budget status, as the R278 million surplus revenue it was expected to generate was not allocated any expenditure.