Parties call for relief plans amid outbreak

Durban - OPPOSITION parties in the eThekwini Municipality are calling for the city to introduce relief programmes amid the coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent national lockdown.

The parties said the relief (in rates payments, water and electricity) should be determined by affordability. Reworking the 2020/21 budget to “cut the fat” and focus on protecting the city’s economy and jobs should also form part of the relief.

Nicole Graham, DA caucus leader in eThekwini, said they were working on a detailed proposal of what they thought the way forward should be.

“Obviously, I think the lockdown is only going to be the start of hardship in homes and businesses due to the pandemic. I think the most important thing is that relief has to be means-tested, it can’t be a blanket relief because not all households will be affected by the current state of affairs,” Graham said.

She said whatever form of relief was implemented should not exhaust the funds of the municipality.

“We have to make sure that the city still has money coming in and I think that is a key concern, but of course also that there is help available for those who no longer have an income because of the pandemic and subsequent lockdown.”

Mdu Nkosi, an IFP councillor in eThekwini, said private sector employees would be the hardest hit by the aftermath of the national lockdown.

“These interventions are a necessity if we are a caring city. The cancellation of bills is not a solution in a city that continues taking huge loans that are to be serviced by ratepayers,” Nkosi said.

Commenting in his personal capacity, Ivor Aylward, the chairperson of the Bluff Ratepayers’ Association, said there was a need for relief, but not a blanket approach.

“Those who can afford to must continue with their contributions, and for those who cannot afford it, there should at least be government subsidies where one gets to benefit on producing proof that they cannot afford to pay,” he said. In response, municipal

spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said: “The budget was severely restricted. The tariff increases were substantially decreased from the Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework projections with electricity decreasing from 13% to 6.9%, water was decreased from 15% to 9.9% and refuse from 15% to 9.9%.”

He said a four-month relief option was not possible as the city only had 60 days of reserves on hand.

“We have, however, stopped disconnections on water and electricity and are not charging any interest on accounts for the month of April,” he said.

Daily News 

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