Johannesburg - Joburg residents who live on properties worth R5 million, brace yourselves for a 129 percent increase in your refuse removal tariffs from July 1.
Most householders will pay more, although one group gets a small discount. The heavy increases are the result of changes in Pikitup’s tariff structure.
The increases come into effect while Pikitup is struggling to deal with a five-week long strike, which has left the city centre and nearby areas with rubbish piling up, the city paying R1m a day for contingency work and some residents paying private contractors.
The tariff is based on property values, and a new cleaning levy is being charged, also based on the property value.
This is the first time in years that this cleaning levy will be imposed on domestic users. Until this year, only businesses paid it.
The City of Joburg this week posted its proposed tariffs on its website. There will be an objection period next month before the tariffs get approved.
“The new tariff policy requires businesses and residents to all contribute towards waste-management services and the city’s cleanliness,” said the city’s tariffs explanation.
“The policy moves away from charging the residents based on the number of bins to charging a tax in the form of a levy to all businesses and domestic customers.”
Linda Field, a Sandton homeowner, was flabbergasted to hear of the astronomical increase.
“My property is worth over R5m and I resent having to pay this huge increase especially when I have been paying R200 a week to have my bins removed over the past five weeks.
“I have been doing my bit by getting my own rubble removed and now I get slapped in the face,” she said.
Barend Strydom of Eldorado Park, who owns a house worth R250 000 and faces a 37 percent increase, said he would refuse to pay.
“The area is filthy with the strike - most of us here can’t afford to pay people to take our rubbish away, so we have to wait for Pikitup to come and clean and this only happens once in a while. Now we must pay 37 percent more? What for?” he asked.
Councillor Tim Truluck said the hardest hit would be those who own more expensive properties.
“These increases are incredible and are going to hit people hard. Although they are only proposed increases at this stage, generally, they are approved despite objections,” he said.
In a report to council, Pikitup said that it had adopted a new tariff policy.
“The new tariff policy requires businesses and residents to all contribute towards waste-management services and the city’s cleanliness. The policy moves away from charging residents based on the number of bins to charging a tax in the form of a levy to all business and domestic customers,” said the report.
The new tariffs have big increases in some categories but decreases in others, due to the addition of the cleaning levy and the rearrangement of the property values.
Properties valued up to R200 000 are still exempt from all charges.
Properties valued at R200 001 to R500 000 pay R143.27 a month. This is an increase of 37 percent on properties valued at R200 001 to R300 000, and an increase of 18 percent for properties of R300 001 to R500 000.
Properties valued at R500 001 to R750 000 will pay R179.09 a month. This is an increase of 29 percent for properties up to R700 000, but a tiny decrease of less than 1 percent for the R700 001 to R750 000 category.
Properties valued at R750 001 to R1m will pay R223.86 a month, an increase of 22 percent.
Properties valued at R1m to R1.5m will pay R313.80 a month, an increase of 71 percent.
Properties valued at R1.5m to R2.5m will pay R373.24 a month. This is an increase of 46 percent.
Properties valued at R2.5m to R5m will pay R466.55 a month. This is an increase of 83 percent.
Properties valued at more than R5m will pay R583.19 a month. This is an increase of 129 percent.