OPINION: Cut water costs – The drought is over and the costs and tariff debt is crippling residents and businesses

It is disappointing that water taffies will further increase next year, in spite of rising debts in vulnerable households in Cape Town.

The grossly high water charges and fixed tariff implemented in 2018 – approved by the DA Caucus in spite of the the objections (https://forgood.org.za/the-water-truth) raised by then-Mayor Patricia de Lille – remain with us even though the drought ended years ago.

Through these high charges, the City has made billions in profit raised by grossly overcharging residents and businesses for water.

The logic of overcharging everyone, causing debts of lower income homes to rise, is wrong. The charges implemented in 2018 were too high and remain too high.

The dams are have been full for 2 years. The DA, if they had a qualified person overseeing the water department, would by now have realized that a temporary drought charge in 2018, as De Lille had proposed, would have been better and more just.

The insanely high costs that have been imposed over the last 3 years have crippled businesses and households. The further increases now being proposed for 2021/22 simply compound the already inflated drought surcharges.

It is time to cut the costs for residents and stop this gross practice of raising billions in profits from water sales.