Cape Town - Consumers feeling the pinch from the recent Eskom tariff hikes can also expect to pay more for municipal rates when they get their bills at the end of the month.
Municipal tariff hikes kicked in on July 1 following the adoption of municipal budgets across the country.
And for the City of Cape Town, ratepayers can expect an increase of 5% for both refuse and solid waste collection, while electricity rates will go up by between 8.88% and 13.37%.
While no fixed rate increases have been earmarked for the coming year on water tariffs, a 9% increase has been pegged as the projected figure.
The provincial Department of Local Government said municipalities have to take into account the fact they were faced with ever-increasing volumes of people they must render services to.
Spokesperson for the MEC for Local Government, James-Brent Styan, said the issue around tariff hikes was a difficult balancing act to keep municipalities and communities happy.
“Each municipality determines their own tariffs although the national Treasury issues a budget circular that provides guidance on the percentage increases, and on electricity Nersa provides the percentage increase and municipalities will act within those parameters,” he said.
“We work together with our councils to keep the rates as low as possible and also understand that our communities are struggling but we are faced with municipalities that are having to increase the services that they provide.”