KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) is planning to bring pay parking back by July this year.
In 2017, the municipality appointed a contractor, Vusa Isipho Trading Enterprise, to enforce a pay parking system in Ballito, Stanger CBD and Umhlali where motorists would be charged R6 an hour for parking in public bays.
At the time, the money was set to be collected by parking marshalls appointed and trained by the service provider.
Huge public outcry forced the closure of the scheme after residents and councillors slammed the municipality for not properly consulting the public before taking the decision.
Now KDM media liaison Sipho Mkhize said the municipality had made a proposal last week to amend the parking bylaws to accommodate the pay parking system.
The public has 30 days to comment or object to the amendments and responses should be lodged in writing by February 22.
“We are re-doing the public participation process and we are hoping to find a workable solution for the revenue generating scheme to be carried out in all public parking bays in the district.
“This time around we are also proposing that there be parking meters in some areas and marshalls scanning discs and collecting fees in other areas.
“So far, the municipality along with a task team formed last year to look into the issue, have been discussing restructuring the parking fee. This will be finalised when or if the bylaws are passed which will essentially be in the new financial year in July.”
The proposal has been advertised in a Stanger newspaper. A 32-page hard copy of the proposal was to be placed at the Stanger Civic Building, KDM finance office, and Salt Rock municipal office. However when the Courier visited the office in Salt Rock a copy could not be found. Mkhize claimed it had been stolen.
Some of the main points are:
- KDM or a contractor may install parking meters, a combined parking meter or any other device by which parking time can be recorded and displayed at any demarcated parking bays in the district.
- KDM may manage parking and collect fees or appoint a service provider to do so.
- The municipality or a service provider can operate the pay parking system during times set by KDM.
- A valid parking permit must be marked and displayed in the inner side of the windscreen from the start of the parking.
- No one is allowed to park in public bays during business hours unless they have paid a fee.
- Anyone who does not abide by the bylaws will be penalized or arrested.
- Vehicles exempted from paying are emergency services and police.
Mkhize said once the bylaws were approved and objections and recommendations addressed, the item would go to council for consideration. He said that essentially, the scheme was to improve revenue flow as the municipality and the service provider agreed to split the collected money where KDM would take 25-28 percent cut.
“If this works, it will relieve the ratepayer in the long run. KDM buys refuse bags, electricity and other basic things to resell and make money. Because we produce what we can collect, the burden is on the ratepayer. If we make money on the side we do not always need to look at rates and electricity to relieve the municipality for services they need to provide.”
However, KwaDukuza Human Rights Association chairperson Cyril Pandaram, who was part of the task team formed to address pay parking concerns in 2017, said he was still against the system.
“We brought to KDM’s attention that this system was illegal. An outside party cannot scan our discs and charge us. Now they are proposing to legalise it but the task team formed by mayor Ricardo Mthembu did not have one meeting with the executive directors of KDM about pay parking.
“Our stance is that if KDM wants to continue with the process, they must run the system themselves where the profits can go to service delivery.
“The service provider was to pay the marshalls R3500 a month but now they are working on a commission basis and earning much less. The system is flawed. It would be much cheaper and corruption will be less if the system worked only with the prepaid meters.”
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