City of Cape Town’s fixed tariffs declared invalid and unlawful

Zellephant said:
Nonsense degrees - and the point stands, he hasn’t worked a day in his life outside of politics.

So he knows how to write speeches, and bamboozle people, and spend other peoples money, but has no idea how economics actually work in the real world for normal people
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But does "driving miss daisy" count as a job outside politics?

Land en Sand: Geordin Hill-Lewis – RSG FM

www.rsg.co.za www.rsg.co.za
(he started out at the DA as madame Zille's chauffeur... :ROFL: :ROFL: )
 
BTTB said:
Memory serves, the COCT actually discouraged people to use well points. The terminology they used confused people. There were people who've had well points for decades that were questioning its use around that Day Zero period.

I'm extremely disappointed with the COCT with regards to its fearmongering around water. While it may have been needed to shock people awake in the mother city, to stop using potable water, there was no need to be so vague around non-potable water. I believe all the lack of information around non-potable water was intended this way so as to create a revenue stream for themselves out of the crisis.

The Western Cape experienced two dryish winters over the years 2016 and 2017 which ran the dams down. This is where Cape Town gets its potable water from, the water out of the tap, basically.
However, Cape Town, the Cape Flats and the mountains surrounding the Cape area are water rich areas. There are literally billions of litres of water under the ground in these parts. The Cape Flats Aquifer comes up right to the top in some places, and over winter these areas become vleis, wet lands. Yet to this day the COCT has ignored the gardeners of the area, making them feel bad whenever the water in a dam 60km away from Cape Town runs low.

This is unacceptable and dishonest. Much, much dryer parts of the world continue to create beautiful gardens without planting cactus and succulents. Yet the COCT has done nothing to encourage gardening, they've only ever been vague. Better municipalities in the US encourage gardening, actively helping citizens, even given rates rebates to customers that cut back on lawned areas.

Listed below are the US States that are dryer than Cape Town, yet still garden without feeling guilty when a drinking water dam runs low.
Colorado has been practicing Xeriscaping since 1981 with huge success. Their gardens are stunning. Google "Xeriscaping in Colorado" to see for yourself.

AI (Copy and Paste)
Xeriscape gardening is most commonly used in arid, desert, and drought-prone regions of the United States, particularly the Southwest and West, though it is gaining popularity nationwide.
Key states with significant adoption include:
  • Colorado: The term "Xeriscaping" was coined in Denver in 1981, and it is widely used to handle dry climates.
  • Arizona: Heavily used to conserve water in desert climates, featuring plants like saguaro and agave.
  • California: Popular in water-conscious areas, with many local rebates available for conversion.
  • Texas: Commonly adopted to handle high heat and reduce high summer water usage.
  • Nevada: Implemented extensively due to strict water conservation needs in the state.
  • New Mexico: Widely utilized in arid landscapes.
  • Utah: Utilized for water conservation and drought-resistant gardening.
  • Georgia: Utilized to conserve water during hot summers.
  • North Carolina: Used during dry spells to protect local water supplies


    My 2 cents for the day. Sorry if I wasted your time reading my k@rk stories.
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The CoCT narrative is that water is an extremely scarce commodity and will come at a cost.
(debatable to a point)

And they have the water-card up their sleeves to help fill the coffers and budget shortfalls. They have been preparing the psychological brainwashing for months in the media that water levels are low and hell will be upon us soon. Paying tens of thousands for fear mongering water commercials on radio stations to get us rate payers to prepare the vaseline. Building on their narrative that water will be a big talking point for CoCT soon..
DONT SAY WE DIDNT WARN YOU RATE PAYERS!!

Heck, two weeks ago after the massive rain we had that weekend they dare run an add on radio that "only 0.1% rise in dam levels"... almost gloating about it. Kak man.

Water will be their next go-to to to help fill their coffers. Mark my words.
 
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Grant said:
screw him and the mange infested mule that dragged his sorry ass into town.
for now the court has ruled the moneygrab was invalid - pretty much fraud, to my mind.

him going to court to defend stealing money from his constituents and others, will not be well received.
it appears the blue party is hell bent on losing voters.
the anc eventually learnt the cost of alienating supporters, one would assume the da learnt from that fatal mistake - but evidently not.
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dailyinvestor.com

New wealth taxes in Cape Town hit by serious resistance

Many experts said the City of Cape Town’s property value-based tariff structure is nothing other than a wealth tax, which hurts investment and economic growth.
dailyinvestor.com dailyinvestor.com

Per this article they are good until 30 June? :unsure:
"He added that the ruling does not change the current 2025/26 tariff structure and budget, which remain lawful and applicable until 30 June 2026."

And I cant believe his #@$# audacity with this communist statement:
"“This court application by the richest of the rich seeks to go back to a system of regressive taxation which hits ordinary families, and the poor, the hardest,” he said."

It's been well documented that middle class CT ratepayers are suffering because of the billing changes... but noooo... they are rich... shut up... dont complain.

And he knows full well that they can afford to lose the middle class vote in their pandering for the township vote of the masses... almost welcoming the Eastern Cape to CT...at the cost and economic downfall of the middle class.
Politician scum.
 
SeRpEnT said:
The CoCT narrative is that water is an extremely scarce commodity and will come at a cost.
(debatable to a point)

And they have the water-card up their sleeves to help fill the coffers and budget shortfalls. They have been preparing the psychological brainwashing for months in the media that water levels are low and hell will be upon us soon. Paying tens of thousands for fear mongering water commercials on radio stations to get us rate payers to prepare the vaseline. Building on their narrative that water will be a big talking point for CoCT soon..
DONT SAY WE DIDNT WARN YOU RATE PAYERS!!

Heck, two weeks ago after the massive rain we had that weekend they dare run an add on radio that "only 0.1% rise in dam levels"... almost gloating about it. Kak man.

Water will be their next go-to to to help fill their coffers. Mark my words.
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Water is a revenue that isn't regulated.
The COCT is a business.

For electricity tariffs we have NERSA, questionable yes. We also need a NERSA-type body guiding water tariffs.

I'm in full agreement with you about the hype and psychological brainwashing; few people even picked up on it back during Day Zero and many still don't.
I guarantee you that if we get two dry years in a row again, we'll be back at square one, it'll be just another excuse for them to keep the fixed tariff and up the price of water way beyond the rate of inflation. And the general public will say nothing and run with it again like sheep.
 
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BTTB said:
Water is a revenue that isn't regulated.
The COCT of Cape Town is a business.

For electricity tariffs we have NERSA, questionable yes. We also need a NERSA-type body guiding water tariffs.

I'm in full agreement with you about the hype and psychological brainwashing; few people even picked up on it back during Day Zero and many still don't.
I guarantee you that if we get two dry years in a row again, we'll be back at square one, it'll be just another excuse for them to keep the fixed tariff and up the price of water way beyond the rate of inflation. And the general public will say nothing and run with it again like sheep.
Click to expand...

CoCT water rates will be going up much higher than inflation well before then. I'm quite sure of that...based on their preparation and narrative in the media..
 
Grant said:
mos 3yrs ago - not again
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The main reason I am reconsidering my long time DA vote is due to our local ward councillor. I have said so in the past. It does irk me that public participation within this DA stronghold is a bit exclusive. I don't know what is giving the doners boners about the DA. We, the many who vote DA, aren't treated right.
 
BTTB said:
In my opinion we were soft targets ripe for the picking during the 2016/2017 Day Zero Water Crisis.

They (COCT) slipped in that Fixed Water Charge nicely to little or no objections, and when that went OK, they slipped in the Fixed Electricity Charge on top of that. I think it was R100 at first, then the next year with inflation it goes up R20 or whatever. Inflation doesn't even play a part in their calculations.

That R100 a month, 10 years later, is now R274.11 plus VAT for water (20mm) and R339.89 plus VAT for Electricity. It was never intended as a Fixed Charge as such, it was just another way of squeezing more money out of the few that do pay, to cover the COCT's huge ambitions, and the millions of hanger-ons who pay little or nothing.

This cycle of the few paying for the rest will not change in South Africa. ANC, DA or whoever.
At least with the DA you get more out of your Rand. A higher percentage of each Rand spent may come back to improve your area. I don't think we have a clue what shoes the DA led council has to fill, keeping everything running and working. It's a mammoth task, mind numbing.
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It might not come back to improve your area, but might go towards expanding the white elephant IRT bus network. LOL
 
Bliksis said:
It might not come back to improve your area, but might go towards expanding the white elephant IRT bus network. LOL
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I've pondered about that a lot. The work on the MY City Bus thing has been going on for years, and its nowhere near completion. Millions, probably billions going into bus routes that the Taxis will ignore or take over anyway. It must be a fortune that the COCT has spent so far.

This one bridge on the intersection of Smuts and Gowan Mbeki must be costing 10s of millions, the project never seems to end. Contractors sucking up the honey there alright.
 
Fulcrum29 said:
The main reason I am reconsidering my long time DA vote is due to our local ward councillor. I have said so in the past. It does irk me that public participation within this DA stronghold is a bit exclusive. I don't know what is giving the doners boners about the DA. We, the many who vote DA, aren't treated right.
Click to expand...
Remember in municipal elections, you get two votes. One for the ward and one for PR (proportional representation) ballot. If you are in a ward like mine, the ward will always be DA, so voting for an opposition party is a "wasted" vote on the ward ballot. On the PR ballot, however, every vote counts, so it'd be better to register your opposition there.
 
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