AS A FORMER resident of Mooi River, now in Gauteng, I was astounded at the recent massive increases in rates and taxes.
Image: SANDILE NDLOVU
AS A FORMER resident of Mooi River, now in Gauteng, I was astounded at the recent massive increases in rates and taxes.
The sharp escalation is not only alarming, but deeply unjustifiable especially in a climate where both businesses and households are battling to stay afloat.
Such a huge increase places an unbearable burden on a community striving to survive under difficult economic conditions. Compounding this hardship is the near collapse of service delivery, which renders these rising costs even more indefensible.
Residents are effectively being asked to pay more while receiving little to nothing in return. This imbalance erodes trust, cripples local enterprise, and pushes vulnerable families closer to financial ruin.
If left unaddressed the consequence would be a wave of business closures, property losses and a community forced into decline rather than development.
This is not governance but economic suffocation imposed on an already fragile community. The widening gap between taxation and service delivery is a betrayal of public trust.
Small businesses, the lifeblood of the local economy, are being pushed to the brink of extinction.
Without urgent intervention, Mooi River risks becoming a symbol of neglect rather than resilience.
My family still owns a small property establishment in the area.
FAROUK ARAIE
Benoni