STEFAN HOUGH writes:
This is a cruel reality. The government is limiting Transmed’s pensioners to a 2% per annum increase in their meagre pension payouts. On the other hand, the Ekurhuleni Metro has been increasing their tariffs to more than triple that percentage each year for the last 20 years.
After 20 years of increased suffering, the elderly have reached the point to admit: “We cannot afford to finance your luxurious salaries and perks any more!”
A small relief would be possible if our municipality followed the procedures from our neighbours in the Johannesburg Metro, by zero-rating property taxes for the elderly of 70-plus.
We followed our executive mayor’s advice and negotiated first with Xolisile Tshabalala, acting community care manager on October 3 last year, and also with Marinda Barnes and Hermanus Prinsloo of the metro’s human resources at the same time.
Also Tebogo Molefe, new community care manager and his assistant on October 29 last year, an urgent request to our executive mayor via an open letter through Kempton EXPRESS on April 3 last year and an urgent request to our Ward 15 Councillor, Joey Roos on various occasions.
All of this to no avail.
Out of desperation and nowhere else to turn to, we will approach Solidariteit and AfriForum for their support in a class action suit and protest against the metro. All we asked of them is not to discriminate against us and treat us with empathy, like the executive mayor of the Joburg Metro is treating his elderly. “What is good for the goose is good for the gander.” We are paying billions of Rands in taxes, for salaries, Robert McBride’s traffic offences and corruption charges of the “untouchables”.
All our taxes are paid on time and officials’ pockets are lined but no one is willing to spend one cent to fill the potholes in our streets.
We have to repair them ourselves to protect our hard-earned property, and that is a sick situation. We have elected officials as our “employees” to govern all municipal issues but this is simply not happening.
Any person is welcome to read the ever-increasing list of municipal problems in Ward 15’s minutes as proof of our statement.
