Cape Winelands District Municipality (Breede Valley, Drakenstein, Langeberg, Stellenbosch Witzenberg) calls for public comment on proposed tariff increases, the draft budget and IDP
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- Proposed increases are available in the summary below
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THE INCREASES ARE AS FOLLOWS
Staff salaries 4.75%
| Property Rates | Electricity | Water | Refuse / San | |
| Drakenstein (Paarl) | -3.7% (Decrease) | 6.3% | 7.7% | 4.5% |
| Langeberg (Robertson) | 3.7% | 9.01% | 3.7% | 8.0% |
| Stellenbosch | ~3.7% | 9.01% | ~4.5% | ~4.5% |
| Breede Valley (Worcester) | ~4.5% | 9.01% | ~4.5% | ~4.5% |
| Witzenberg (Ceres) | ~4.5% | 10.9% | ~4.5% | ~4.5% |
| Staff Salaries | 4.75% | 4.75% | 4.75% | 4.75% |
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- The Drakenstein Rates Decrease: Drakenstein is a major success story as they are proposing a 3.7% decrease in property rates to offset the impact of high utility costs. This is in stark contrast to municipalities like Mangaung (which is eyeing a revenue hike of 33%).
- The 6.3% Electricity absorption: Drakenstein is also absorbing part of the Eskom bulk hike, passing on only 6.3% to consumers instead of the 9.01% standard.
- Langeberg’s Refuse Outlier: While Langeberg is disciplined on rates (3.7%), their 8% refuse hike is nearly double the salary benchmark. This is a local pain point for Robertson and Montagu residents.
- The Salary Anchor: As with the rest of the country, all five locals are bound by the 4.75% staff salary increase. Any service hike significantly above this (like Witzenberg’s electricity or Drakenstein’s water) suggests the municipality is using that service as a “cash cow” to fund other parts of the budget.
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