With the local elections just around the corner, Cape Town residents are questioning the city's municipal charges and calling for transparency.
Ratepayers and watchdogs together with political parties have raised concerns over who benefitted from the City's fixed municipal charges, which the Western Cape High Court recently struck down.
The coalition have cautioned residents to cast their vote wisely in upcoming the local government elections, demanding transparency, lawful tariffs, and honest communication from the municipality.
This comes as the City announced that it will publish amendments to its tabled Budget 2026/27 for public comment after the Western Cape High Court held that it had unlawfully exceeded its powers by imposing the charges in a form not authorised by either the Constitution or national legislation.
Introduced in the City’s 2025/26 budget, the cleaning charge, fixed sewerage charge, and fixed water charge were imposed with effect from July 1.
