Frustrated Chatsworth residents voice concerns over proposed budget and water crisis

FRUSTRATED residents in Chatsworth, earlier today protested against the proposed tariff increases during Mayor Cyril Xaba’s budget consultation, highlighting the ongoing water issues and the need for better service delivery.

Xaba’s budget consultation meeting, at the Nelson Mandela Youth Centre, this afternoon, was met with a protest against the tariff increases by frustrated residents .

They staged a peaceful protest against the proposed budget and Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and threatened to boycott their utility payments if the issues affecting them - more especially the water crisis – was not resolved.

The draft budget for the 2025/26 financial year stands at R71.3 billion, comprising a capital budget of R7.1 billion and an operating budget of R64.2 billion.

Xaba said that the budget reflected the municipality’s continued commitment to inclusive development, service delivery and infrastructure renewal in all communities.

But residents, businesses and stakeholders of Chatsworth and surrounding areas, including Mariannhill, Shallcross, Savannah Park, Malvern, Montclair, Bellair, Bluff, Merebank and Jacobs, expressed their strong dissatisfaction with the proposed budget.

They said the ongoing water cuts was exacerbating the problem.

Selvan Moodley, of south Durban, the water issues had left them frustrated and the proposed increases was not acceptable.

“The city cannot expect people to pay for services they do not receive. How can they implement increases with the lack or absence of service delivery?” he asked.

Chatsworth resident, Raeesa Hoosen, told Xaba the elderly and those who were sickly, were suffering the most with the constant water cuts.

“We do not have water. Yes, there are water tankers, but most people in the area I live in are old and cannot fetch water from the tankers. What happens to them? People are sick and they too cannot access the water that they need from the tankers. We need a better solution,” she said.

Another resident from Montclair, Kurshida Kaja, appealed to Xaba to take low income families and those who relied on grants into consideration when budgeting and implementing the increases.

“People are already struggling. We need proper considerations before the increases are implemented. The ordinary citizens cannot afford to pay any more than they already are paying,” Kaja added.

The deadline for residents, businesses and stakeholders to submit their inputs into the draft budget and IDP for the 2025/26 financial year is May 17. 

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