SAPOA is currently attending to the two legal matters

• 1. 2025/26 Municipal Budgets, Tariff Policies, Rates Policies and Integrated Development Plans:

Various Municipalities throughout the country published their draft Budgets, Tariff Policies, Rates Policies, Integrated Development Plans, and related documents towards the end of March, with comments due on these documents through the month of April 2026 and into the first week of May 2026.

We are in the process of submitting comment on the following Municipalities:

• 1.1. Buffalo City
• 1.2. Mangaung
• 1.3. Cape Town
• 1.4. Ekurhuleni
• 1.5. eThekwini
• 1.6. Johannesburg
• 1.7. Mbombela
• 1.8. Nelson Mandela Bay
• 1.9. Polokwane
• 1.10. Tshwane
• 1.11. Tzaneen

• 2. The issues that can be highlighted include the following:

Three of the Metropolitan Municipalities, Cape Town, eThekwini and Mangaung published new General Valuation Rolls during 2026. Both Cape Town and Mangaung proposes a reduction in rates randage, on average 10.21% and 5% respectively. eThekwini, however, proposes a 5% increase, on top of the increased valuations.

• 3.2. Most of the Municipalities are, on average, increasing electricity tariffs by more than the NERSA-approved increase of 9.01%, with Nelson Mandela Bay having the highest average increase of 12.8%.
• 3.3. eThekwini has the highest average increase in water, sanitation and refuse tariffs, of 16%, 14% and 13% respectively.
• 3.4. Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality is changing the tariff structure in respect of refuse charges for non-residential (i.e. business and commercial, industrial, and mining properties) to move away from a fixed monthly charge to a stepped charge linked to property values. This is similar to the basic water and sanitation charges and city-wide cleaning tariff introduced by the City of Cape Town in 2025/26. Similar to the position in Cape Town, SAPOA is of the view that a tariff linked to property values is unlawful and is currently engaging with the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality on this aspect.