Malcolm Figg News Today

An increase in Nelson Mandela Bay municipal rates and tariffs is on the cards, with residents likely to dig deep for a whopping 15.7% electricity hike.

A draft budget for the 2024/2025 financial year was noted on Wednesday at a Nelson Mandela Bay council meeting amid much scrutiny from opposition councillors.

Nelson Mandela Bay chief financial officer Selwyn Thys came under fire from councillors on Thursday after it emerged at a committee meeting that a report on the municipality’s financial position for July was missing.

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality’s billing system is under scrutiny in several communities as the metro embarks on its integrated development plan (IDP) meetings before the new financial year.

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is looking to amend its water rebate policy to provide relief to consumers hit by burst pipes above ground as a result of vandalism and theft.

Mere days before the start of a new financial year on July 1, the Nelson Mandela Bay council adopted its 2022/2023 budget on Tuesday with the proposed tariff increases lowered a notch, bringing some much-needed relief to ratepayers.

The threats made to councillors and officials that have forced the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality to hold a virtual council meeting on Tuesday to debate the 2022/2023 annual budget are shrouded in a veil of secrecy.

The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is once again considering insourcing contract workers, but this time it is has to do with meter readings.

Some 18,000 electricity thieves in Nelson Mandela Bay have come forward to apply for the municipality’s amnesty, though the city continues to struggle with 42,000 more illegal connections.

A stormwater improvement project in Simka Street in New Brighton, the construction of a bridge in Joe Slovo, and facilities for the disabled in parts of Gqeberha.