By Luvuyo Mjekula
Residents of Makana Municipality have until 12 May to comment on the 2025/2026 draft budget, which contains proposed rate increases for water, sanitation and electricity.
In a recent special council meeting, Makana mayor Yandiswa Vara tabled the draft budget for the 2025/26 Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Forecast (MTREF).
The municipality is now calling on members of the public to submit written comments and input. These must reach the office of the municipal manager on or before Monday, 12 May.
The proposed budget for 2025/26 comprises an operating budget of R915m and a capital budget of R100.7m, and if approved, will be implemented at the start of the financial year in July.
Opposition councillors, however, expressed concerns about the proposed hikes. Said DA councillor Cary Clark: “Just cutting across all the proposed increases in terms of property rates, 5%; water, I think it’s 6%; and then electricity, 59.64%. Our businesses and our residents are struggling enormously.
“We are not delivering services, and yet we are increasing the cost of this non-service delivery. People are not receiving water like they should. We’ve got people whose electricity is down. People are suffering, businesses are suffering. We need to look at what people can afford and what we’re actually delivering.”
Clark continued: “People who are delivering, we can say, yes, are earning increases. But we are not delivering, and people are suffering.”
The Council Speaker clarified that the proposed electricity tariff increase was 31%.
Reassuring the councillors and the public, municipal officials pointed out that subsidisation of free basic services had been extended to pensioners and the most vulnerable customers. ANC councillor Andile Hoyi dubbed it “the people’s budget”.
