Msunduzi Municipality faces backlash over proposed tariff increases

THE residents in Msunduzi Municipality have vowed to challenge the new tariffs proposed for the 2026-2027 financial year should they be passed.

- THAMI MAGUBANE

Last week, the municipality proposed new tariffs for the 2026-2027 financial year. The public will be engaged in public consultation in the coming days, and if the tariffs are approved, they will come into effect in July.The city has appealed for calm regarding the tariffs, stating that they are draft proposals, and no final tariffs have been approved at this stage. Ratepayers and opposition parties, however, stated that even at the proposal stage, the tariffs are unjust.

The proposed tariff increases show that:

9.26% has been proposed for electricity,

◆13% for water,

◆13% for sanitation,

◆1.2% for rates, and

◆3.70% for refuse removal

Anthony Waldhausen from the Msunduzi Association of Residents, Ratepayers and Civics (MARRC) said MARRC is totally against the tariff increases for 2026/2027, stating they are unjustified.