Bloemfontein - Water tariffs in the Sol Plaatje municipality in Kimberley will go up by nearly 15 percent, executive mayor Kagisho Molusi announced on Wednesday.
“With regard to water tariffs, this council has noted the above-inflation increase, which is necessary to correct the bulk water budget,” Molusi said in a statement.
The increase - of 14.99 percent - was a “once-off correction”, and water tariff increases were expected to normalise in subsequent years.
Tariff increases for other major municipal services in the 2014/15 financial year included increases of 6.99 percent in property rates, 6.5 percent for sewerage services, 5.9 percent for refuse collection, and a 6.72 percent increase for electricity.
The Sol Plaatje municipality's total budget for the new financial year is R1.64 billion.
Molusi said the budget was arrived at following meetings with the government and Kimberley businesses and communities.
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