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- Anton Bredell said the province's electricity tariff structure was "reasonable".
- Violent protests broke out in Swellendam on Wednesday.
- Bredell said a study would be done regarding tariffs in the province.
Local Government MEC Anton Bredell insisted that the Western Cape's electricity tariff structure in municipalities was "reasonable".
He was speaking to reporters in Swellendam after violent protests broke out in the area on Wednesday.
"We are going to start a study in the Western Cape on the electricity tariffs. But it's actually not the municipality's function... the National Energy Regulator (Nersa) has allowed Eskom an 18.65% increase in electricity, but they only allow municipalities a 15% increase in electricity tariffs.
"We will look into that, and we will prove to the people that municipalities are reasonable with their tariffs in the Western Cape," he said.
READ | ‘Tense but calm’: Swellendam on a knife-edge after violent protests
On Wednesday, residents of the picturesque town of Swellendam took to the streets because of steep tariff increases. They set alight the municipal offices and blocked the N2 highway.
The area was calm on Thursday, but police maintained a strong presence.
Community and Safety MEC Reagen Allen said what was seen over the last 36 hours was "unacceptable".
"We have always been clear that law and order must be maintained. Any community can protest, but it must be within the confines of the law. What has happened is we will never want any community to land where certain services are inaccessible, or infrastructure is burnt down," he said.
Locals told News24 the protest action was triggered by the municipal increases which came into effect on 1 July.
Many complained about exorbitant electricity increases, refuse collection and water tariffs.
At the heart of residents' anger was a newly-implemented council policy, which required indigent households to apply for subsidised services, such as water and electricity.
Bredell explained that every municipality had to have an indigent registration.
"There is no such thing as free basic services. There are subsidised basic services and, for municipalities to apply for that subsidy, they have to know the number of people who need basic services. This will help us as well for long-term planning to understand the poverty levels in our communities," he said.
A resident, Felicity Thomson, told News24 residents were furious.
"We pay a fortune for water that we hardly even use. We pay for refuse removal and many unnecessary things. We pay for a lot of unnecessary items. I receive a disability grant, and I pay R987 monthly for water. What do I have left for food? I have nothing left for food," she said.
WATCH | Fed-up residents set alight the Swellendam Municipality during protest action over steep tariff increases on Wednesday. The mayor and the provincial MEC for local government are currently locked in talks over residents' grievances. @TeamNews24 @News24 pic.twitter.com/1lvHpq9SqZ
— Marvin Charles (@MarvinCharles_) August 17, 2023
Julian Matthysen, an ANC ward councillor in Swellendam, told News24: "Residents simply cannot afford the payments of municipal tariffs. People are forced to pay R12.50 for potholes in the town on their municipal bill. These are the main issues... if the mayor would just be prepared to have an honest and clear message to the people, but he has been making promises to address the problems for weeks already."
Matthysen warned that protests could escalate.
"Residents are very angry."
The town was calm on Thursday after the unrest but many shops remained closed after residents targeted shopkeepers and destroyed infrastructure. Police maintained a strong presence in the area.
The mayor of Swellendam, Francois du Rand, called for calm and peace.
"The executive decided in a meeting on Wednesday that all capital projects will be placed on hold because we are still unsure about the damages and how much we will have to spend," he said.
Meanwhile, in Mossel Bay, hundreds of residents participated in a planned march to the local municipality because of municipal tariffs and housing issues, among others.
The Mossel Bay Municipality said the legal march concluded with the handing over of a memorandum to the mayor, Dirk Kotze, at the Mossel Bay Town Hall.
