PA in South Africa promises some homeowners three months without municipal rates — Daily Maverick
The Patriotic Alliance (PA) party in South Africa has promised to abolish municipal property rates for three months for residential properties that meet a value criterion that has not yet been announced. Its election manifesto also provides for writing off historic municipal account debt for certain low-income families, Daily Maverick reports.
The benefit would not mean three months of free water and electricity for everyone. PA proposes cancelling the debt of households classified as indigent or belonging to the low-income group. For other payers, the party promises the possibility of partial debt write-offs over 18 months, provided that current bills are paid.
Plans for municipalities
PA's manifesto contains a programme for its first 100 days in municipalities. It provides for opening municipal books, auditing infrastructure and employees' qualifications, as well as publishing timelines for repairing utility networks. The party promises to separate water and electricity revenue, settle accounts with suppliers as a priority, inspect reservoirs and pumping stations, and replace faulty meters.
Among other proposals is the transfer of municipal housing into the ownership of long-term tenants, including those who have lived in it for 20 years. The municipality should bear the costs of registering ownership rights, according to PA's plan. The party also wants to require the construction of affordable or social housing on suitable municipal land transferred for development.
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Security, business and financing
PA proposes supporting accredited community watch groups with training, radio communications, equipment and insurance. In the area of municipal services, the party promises weekly rubbish collection, public data on missed collections, waste recycling and the integration of waste pickers into municipal systems, with protective equipment and fair pay.
The manifesto also provides for centres to speed up business permit processing, accelerate construction approvals and pay compliant suppliers within 30 days. Separately, PA promotes the Abahambe campaign, which provides for licensing traders, monitoring compliance with rules and checking owners' right to conduct trade. Daily Maverick describes this campaign as anti-migrant and stresses that immigration matters fall under national jurisdiction.
The party says it will finance the initiatives by collecting money from major debtors and state institutions, correcting billing systems, reducing network losses and spending on consulting services. The publication notes that the manifesto does not contain calculations of budget losses from the three-month benefit, the amount of debt that can legally be written off, or the timing of additional payments.
