New SDEC Tariffs Effect In April

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday March 22, 2021 16:47

The Monitor has learnt that implementation of the new tariffs was delayed in the advent of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has now created a dilemma for the council that has noted its negative effects on people’s lives. The revised charges are supposed to be in effect on April 1, 2021.

“Council has not been increasing its tariffs for more than six years. The new ones could have long been implemented, but it is an unfortunate situation now because of COVID-19. If you look at the old charges, you will find that we had been offering our services for free. Council budgets are very low and the central government has requested councils to make their own money.

That means a lot of things will no longer be free like before. Residents want to see their internal roads paved and other things done, but all that people want to be done could be so if there is money,” SEDC deputy chairperson, Douglas Kereng said.

Some of the revised fees include the collection of clinical waste, which was P10 and will now  be P100; pest control residential [formally] P10 and now P30; general waste collection was P40 and is now P100; market stalls were P110 and will be P500 amongst others.

However, Kereng said if the council does not increase some fees for its services, then it might fail to implement its mandate.

He said the SEDC does not have money to keep running if people still believe that some of the things should be done for free, for example, the vehicles for waste collection are costly to repair.

Meanwhile, residents of SDEC have not taken kindly to the revised tariffs. They believe the council is being hard on them for expecting tariffs to be paid while some people have already lost jobs due to COVID-19.