Facing forced sales

HOMEOWNERS: CAPE TOWN'S PROPOSED TARIFF REFORM TO LEAD TO BILL HIKES

- Liesl Peyper

Long-time homeowners in Cape Town fear that soaring house prices and mounting property taxes could soon force them to sell their residences.

The City of Cape Town's proposed tariff reform, which introduces fixed charges for water and sanitation alongside a new city-wide cleaning tariff – all of which will be determined based on property value – will lead to municipal bill increases of more than 20% per month for owners of higher-valued properties.

Residents who live in properties valued above R2 million, many of whom are retired, say they will not be able to afford the aggressive hikes in tariffs the city wants to implement from 1 July.

The proposals have led to an outcry from ratepayer associations and individual homeowners, including an online petition distributed by the Cape Town Collective Ratepayers' Association that drew more than 1,000 signatures in a single day.