Durban - Water tariffs will rise by 15% in Ballito and surrounding areas of the Dolphin Coast from July 1.
The new tariffs were announced at an Ilembe District Municipality council meeting last Friday.
Mayor Welcome Mdabe said the Dolphin Coast was supplied by Sembcorp Siza Water and Siza Water had hiked its tariffs after getting new bulk water tariff increases from Umgeni Water.
Mdabe said Siza Water tariffs would increase from R12.59 to R14.39 a kilolitre.
In a letter from Siza Water to Ilembe, the water service provider’s managing director, Shaym Misra, described the Umgeni Water tariff as an “exorbitant increase, without any economic rationale”.
He said it had had a substantial impact on their tariff escalation.
Mdabe said they were placed in a difficult position because most of their consumers were indigent.
The rest of the Ilembe district, which includes Mandeni, Maphumulo, Ndwedwe and parts of KwaDukuza, would increase by 17%. It is supplied by the municipality, not by Siza.
While the IFP and the NFP appeared satisfied with the new tariffs, the DA accused the ANC leadership of being quick to accept the Siza Water increases.
“There should have been more engagements with Siza Water because this tariff is way above inflation. Even the 17% that Ilembe is proposing for the consumers supplied by the municipality is too much,” said DA councillor Faith Govender. Anything above 10% was too much.
The Mercury