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IOL News
a day ago
- Business
- IOL News
Criticism mounts over 12. 91% planned increase for rental units
The DA-led City is proposing a 12.9% increase for residents living in Council-owned Community Residential Units (CRUs), mostly on the Cape Flats Image: Picture: Supplied OPPOSITION parties are outraged with the DA-led City's plans for a 12.91% increase in rental costs for some of Cape Town's poorest residents living in Council-owned Community Residential Units (CRUs), mostly on the Cape Flats. The City's budget has come under severe criticism by residents and opposition politicians over what they said were unaffordable rates and tariffs proposed in its initial budget. Despite some changes with the second draft, GOOD councillor, Axolile Notywala said 'Under the guise of 'expanded rates relief,' the City's Budget 2.0 claims to offer financial support, yet its so-called 'innovative' approach includes a 12.91% increase in rental costs for CRU tenants'. 'This sharp hike is more than double the 4.40% increase initially proposed in the original draft budget. "This decision was pushed through in a Special Human Settlements Portfolio Committee meeting on 29 April 2025, where every DA councillor present voted in favour of the increase. This happened as the City scrambled to defend its original draft budget amid public outcry over unaffordable rates and tariffs,' he said. "Rather than easing the pressure, the DA has chosen to squeeze Cape Town's most vulnerable residents even further. Shockingly, DA councillors continue to justify the increase by claiming Cape Town has 'some of the lowest rentals in the country'. But the truth is, in a city where affordable housing is scarce and public housing is a last refuge for many, these increases are nothing short of punitive. If the City is serious about being 'pro-poor' then its actions, especially those affecting people's homes and livelihoods, must match its rhetoric,' said Notyawala. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading The City's Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements, Carl Pophaim said the increase was endorsed by the committee but will be considered for next year. 'The proposal was tabled and endorsed by the Human Settlements Portfolio Committee but not carried by the executive in the final budget proposal. This increase was tabled as part of the original public participation process in order to fund a Public Housing Safety Unit to ensure safety and compliance in rental stock as well address anti-social behaviour. However, the change has not been affected in the latest budget out for public participation. 'It will be reconsidered at the January 2026 adjustments budget if feasible at the time. The proposal amounts to approximately R50 extra a month per tenant, noting this in the context of the lowest public housing rates in the country. The City also offers generous rebate and rental relief,' said Pophaim. Advocate Rod Solomons, convenor of the #SA1stForum and coordinator of the Push Back Against the City Of Cape Town's Proposed Unaffordable Rates and Service Increases campaign said this increase was 'inhumane' and bordered on being 'criminal'. 'We need to know the names of those councillors who voted in favour of this diabolical decision so that they can be publicly shamed. This is another example of this tone deaf DA-led City paying lip service to being at service of all Capetonians. This is even more of a reason why Capetonians must object to this latest budget as proposed by the Mayor,' said Solomons. The National Coloured Congress (NCC) in the Cape Metro Region said they were 'outraged' by the proposed increase but not surprised.
IOL News
03-06-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Minister receives report on George building collapse
The George building collapse was the result of systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders, says Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson. He reiterated that accountability could not be optional when human lives were lost as a result of human error. The minister on Monday confirmed he has received the final report from the Council for the Built Environment (CBE), via its body the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) on the tragedy. On May 6, 2024, a five-storey building collapsed in George claiming the lives of 34 people and leaving 28 others injured. Macpherson said the report marked a critical step in the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure's commitment to uncover the truth behind what he described as a preventable disaster and to ensure those responsible are held accountable. 'As the Department, we will now carefully study the report to develop a pathway forward to ensure that a tragedy such as the George building collapse never happens again. As I have previously committed, after studying the report, I will personally return to George to present the findings of this report to the families affected by this tragedy. They deserve to hear directly from us, not through the media, about what went wrong and how we intend to rectify it,' Macpherson said. He emphasised that the collapse was the result of systemic failures across various regulatory bodies and a lack of cooperation among key stakeholders. He added that the Department will continue to work with the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and other relevant regulatory bodies to ensure accountability. 'As I have said before, the collapse of the George building was entirely preventable, and we will therefore work towards accountability and address any errors that may have been identified. By working together, we are ensuring a safe and secure construction sector for all stakeholders,' Macpherson said. Last week George councillor, Chantelle Kyd resigned from the Planning and Development Mayoral Committee over what she said was the DA-led municipality's lack of transparency over the confidential tabling of reports on the building collapse. The GOOD councillor tendered her resignation, saying it was not an easy decision but that she could not stay in an executive role where 'truth is suppressed' and 'accountability is avoided'. 'It is unacceptable that the DA would choose to table critical reports behind closed doors, bar the media, and deny coalition partners the opportunity to address the public truthfully.' DA Western Cape leader Tertuis Simmers said the position to table the item as confidential was a 'collective decision'. 'The position on the specific item in question was adopted by the Joint Coalition Caucus as all parties agreed to its recommendations. Furthermore, as GOOD communicated in recent weeks on the matter publicly, GOOD was informed that it could issue a party-political statement on the matter following the council meeting. So in no way were GOOD George sidelined, marginalised or censored while a member of the coalition government,' said Simmers.
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Community activists accuse DA-led City of undemocratic practices
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Image: City of Cape Town/Supplied CIVIL society organisations have described as undemocratic the City's decision to allegedly deny the opportunity to attend the tabling of the budget on Wednesday. Advocate Rod Solomons, convenor of the #SA1stForum and coordinator of the Push Back Against the City Of Cape Town's Proposed Unaffordable Rates and Service Increases campaign, had planned to attend after he was invited by a councillor, until he was informed guests were no longer allowed to attend the meeting. In a notice, the City noted that 'limited seating' was available for councillors' guests and media only. 'Interested members of the public can follow the meeting via a live audio feed on Youtube'. GOOD councillor Wesley Neumann noted that they were informed seating had been reserved for officials who worked on the budget document and members of the media. However, pictures of the gallery on the day seemingly showed scores of empty seats which could have accommodated members of the public with a vested interest in the meeting. Solomons said: 'The DA is supposedly the paragon of openness and regularly took the national government to court to demand transparency. The decision by the DA-led City of Cape Town to prohibit members of the public from attending the upcoming Council meeting where the Mayor will introduce the budget is deeply concerning and fundamentally undemocratic. This threatens the open and transparent governance that residents of Cape Town deserve and undermines the principles of accountability and public participation that are vital to a healthy democracy. ' He said transparency must be preserved to ensure that the budget process remains open, inclusive, and accountable to the people it serves. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Speaker Felicity Purchase said Wednesday's Special Council and Ordinary Council meeting were open, public meetings given that proceedings were livestreamed. 'Only the in-committee portion of the meeting is closed to the public as has always been the practice.' Purchase said she determines and gives approval to individuals who request gallery access. 'Given that gallery seating is limited, my office cannot accommodate all requests. My office often receives group requests and has accommodated members of the public, students, choirs, sports teams, local, national and international delegations and must prioritize seating accordingly. 'In this instance… gallery access was prioritised for officials who worked on the budget and accredited members of the press as per my determination as Speaker.' 'Over the last few weeks my Office has also had reports from many councillors who have received death threats and cases have been opened with SAPS in this regard. As such we are also being cautious to protect and ensure the safety and wellbeing of our public representatives,' Purchase said. Mayor Gordin Hill-Lewis in a statement said they had listened to the public and adjusted the budget. 'Extending the 'first R450 000 rates-free' benefit to all homes up to R7 million property valuation (up from R5m). More pensioners to benefit by raising the qualifying threshold to R27 000 monthly income per household (up from R22 000), regardless of property value, SA's widest criteria for pensioner support. Reducing City-wide cleaning charges for all residential properties under R20m compared to the tabled March 2025/26 budget. A pensioner rebate for City-Wide Cleaning has also been included, which will offer up to 100% off this charge. Lower fixed water charges for property value bands between R1m and R25m compared to the March tabled budget draft. 'The above relief measures will lead to lower total monthly bills compared to the March budget. From July, the per unit electricity charge for customers on the Home User and Domestic tariffs is going down. This is made possible by discontinuing the 10% cost embedded in electricity prices that previously paid for city-wide cleaning. We have considered the petition by the Cape Town Collective Ratepayers Association, which calls for the raising of electricity prices instead of a City-Wide Cleaning Tariff. Our modelling shows this will negatively impact households, and that it is better to pursue other means of relief,' said Hill-Lewis.
The Herald
29-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald
Troon's no-confidence motion comes amid fluid political situation
With GOOD councillor Lawrence Troon's notice for a motion of no confidence against Nelson Mandela Bay's political leadership on the agenda for Thursday's council meeting, changes in the coalition and recent deaths of ward councillors could influence the outcome if a vote is held. The UDM and DOP have joined the coalition, with one party assuming the chair of the public accounts committee and the other taking on the role of political head for economic development, respectively. This was preceded by the Patriotic Alliance's decision to leave the coalition. With the death of three ward councillors in the last two months, replacements will join the council after by-elections later in 2025. The ANC, holding 48 seats, is in a coalition with the EFF (8 seats), National Alliance (3), DOP (2), UDM (1), AIC (1), AIM (1) and PAC (1). This totals 65 seats. However, one of the National Alliance seats is occupied by Bevan Brown, who has split with a faction and does not attend meetings amid ongoing court battles. Then, there are two vacancies with the deaths of ANC ward councillors Thembinkosi Maswana and Nosithembiso Mayekiso. This brings the total to 61. In the opposition sit the DA (48), ACDP (2), Patriotic Alliance (2), FF+ (2), and GOOD (1). This totals 55 seats. However, DA ward councillor Johnny Arends also died. Troon is expected to table his motion to remove mayor Babalwa Lobishe, her deputy Gary van Niekerk, speaker Eugene Johnson and chief whip Wandisile Jikeka. In the notice, Troon lists almost a dozen allegations for their removal. This ranges from allegations of poor governance, inability to spend budgets and wasteful expenditure, to failure to make critical appointments and a lack of accountability, among other issues. 'The performance of the municipality under the leadership of the mayor has been poor,' Troon said. 'At midyear, the city was at 29.9% expenditure of the budget. 'Grant funding meant to deliver services to the people is going to be taken back to the national fiscus.' Troon said Lobishe failed to ensure the filling of critical vacancies which would help boost the delivery of services. 'Why are there so many vacant positions of top management? 'The executive director positions are not filled. 'Allegedly, under the current mayor, we have lost critical officials based on undue political pressure to execute illegal stuff.' Speaking on behalf of the mayor, deputy mayor, speaker and chief whip, Johnson said councillors had the right to submit motions, which, if deemed valid, would be brought before the council to decide whether they should be debated. 'What matters is whether other parties will support that it should serve before the council.' Johnson said Troon always had concerns about everything except his party. 'I want his motion to be heard in the next council meeting so it can be thrown out. 'No-one takes him seriously. Other councillors have said this, and it is because of his conduct.' Troon, when contacted, said if the DA did not support his motion, the party should stop complaining about poor governance. 'Their MPL Retief [Odendaal] goes about talking about how bad things are in the city, now they have an opportunity to remove the current government and all eyes will be on them to see what they will do,' he said. Troon said he was approached by the ANC to join the coalition and take over as rules and ethics committee chair, but refused. 'They wanted to give me a useless portfolio where I could have earned R50,000 more than what I receive, but I refused because I stand for something, and that is the difference between GOOD and other parties.' The Herald
News24
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Mel Viljoen, Coconut Kelz and Patricia de Lille heat up lineup for roast of Helen Zille
The Showmax Roast of Helen Zille, hosted by Tumi Morake and Trevor Gumbi, promises a night of laughter and fiery political commentary on 2 May 2025. Reality TV star Mel Viljoen is set to take the stage, bringing history and political fire to the event. Loyiso Gola, Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Bongani Bingwa, Patricia de Lille and Coconut Kelz are just a few of the names confirmed for the all-star lineup. Reality TV personality and businesswoman Mel Viljoen has been unveiled as one of the star panellists for the Showmax Roast of Helen Zille on 2 May 2025 at the Laugh Africa Comedy Festival. Known for her bold and outspoken demeanour on Real Housewives van Pretoria and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip South Africa, Viljoen is expected to deliver some fiery moments. Viljoen joins an all-star lineup that includes roastmasters Tumi Morake and Trevor Gumbi, panellists Loyiso Gola, Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh, Bongani Bingwa, JJ Tabane, Coconut Kelz, Rian van Heerden, and GOOD party leader Patricia de Lille. The roast promises a no-holds-barred evening of comedy meets politics, with Zille preparing to dish out as much heat as she receives. With her sharp comebacks and trademark humour, Zille warned her roasters to expect a challenge. The politician told News24 that she was ready for the heat. "I get roasted every day of my life; it was quite a relief to hear that they would roast me," she said. "Literally, I get dragged and roasted, and insulted, and sworn at every day of my life, so bring it on." Zille added that she would hit back at the panellists just as hard. "I'm going to go for them. They mustn't think that they're going to have an easy time," she said, adding that she would unleash what the DA calls 'Zille's hairdryer' because she's mastered the art of blasting jokes on maximum heat.
