MK Party demands cheaper municipal bills for pensioners and small businesses

The uMkhonto weSizwe Party has called for fair municipal rates and tariffs, saying the cost of services is burdening households, pensioners and small businesses.

In a post on its official X account on Wednesday, the party said residents deserve affordable services, responsible spending and value for every rand paid. The post carried a photograph and four campaign hashtags, including #SithathaOmasipala and #MasibuyeleBantwini, alongside #VoteMKParty.

The statement is a position rather than a policy document. It does not set out a tariff model, name a municipality, or say what the party would cut, subsidise or charge differently to bring bills down. What it does is place municipal billing inside the party’s election pitch, addressed to the ratepayers and pensioners who open a council account every month.

Municipal rates and service charges are set by each council when it adopts its budget, within a framework set nationally. That makes the cost of water, electricity, refuse and property rates a local government question, and it is the level at which the MK Party is contesting support.

The party’s post frames the issue around three groups: households generally, pensioners on fixed incomes, and small businesses carrying overheads. It also ties affordability to how councils spend, arguing for responsible spending and value for money.

What the party has not said, in this post at least, is how a council under its control would square lower charges with the cost of providing the services, or which spending it regards as irresponsible. Those questions are left open.

The Enquirer has not verified any specific tariff proposal from the party, because the post contains none.