This is one thing that rears it’s head on a regular basis: Someone on social media gets a bee in their bonnet after a particularly bad report about the state of (read: lack of) service delivery and posts this; “We should all stop paying and place the monies in a bank account until it is sorted!”
Of course the heart agrees but we need to look at the head.
Why a Rates Boycott is DOOMED:
- First off, a rates (rates are a tax) boycott will deprive already struggling municipalities with no money to fix their transgressions.
- Secondly, the municipality has tested cases wherein those who withhold rates are ‘punished’ by having their electricity cut off (even when their account is up to date).
- Thirdly, we need to change the mindset at the ballot.
- Fourthly, if the ballot does not appeal or is too far away then get involved and make your voice heard.
Here is an alternative to a Rates Boycott:
Get involved and contribute your concerns via the Nelson Mandela Bay Civil Society Coalition: https://nmbcsc.org.za
Why Rates Boycotts are ‘iffy:
Ratepayers are a bit stuck as a rates boycott is iffy in terms of the law.
e.g. Following the Constitutional Court ruling in Rademan v Moqhaka Local Municipality, the court held that a resident cannot withhold rates because they are unhappy with service delivery. Rates are a tax, not a direct service charge like water or electricity.
Withholding is a Breach of Contract: Most municipal bylaws state that if you withhold payment, the municipality is legally entitled to disconnect your electricity—even if your electricity account is paid up but your rates are not. They are allowed to “consolidate” your account.
Has SA ever had a successful Rates Boycott?
There is one example of “success”:
The most famous “success” was the massive rent and rates boycotts in townships during the 1980s. These were strategically successful because they made the “Black Local Authorities” (BLAs) financially unsustainable, effectively making the townships ungovernable and forcing the apartheid state to negotiate.
Daron Mann says; “Untreated sewage flows straight into the ocean off Nelson Mandela Bay!
At the Driftsands Wastewater Treatment Plant, vandals stole electrical cables back in 2023 — and nothing has been fixed since.
No electricity means ZERO pumps, filters, or machinery working. Workers are forced to rake sewage manually before it spills into a gully and pipes out to sea.
This is a massive humanitarian and environmental disaster in the making – threatening marine life, public health, and tourism in the Metro and beyond.
With recent power & water outages hitting the Metro hard, Nelson Mandela Bay’s infrastructure collapse is already here.
Where is the Municipality? Why no urgent repairs or maintenance?
Watch the disturbing reality on the ground and see why this is a ticking time bomb for our city and coastline.If you’re in Nelson Mandela Bay, share your stories in the comments — have you seen sewage spills?
Let’s demand accountability!”
