Monthly 'drought charge' on cards for Capetonians
5 December 2017
Cape Town - Cape Town residents may have to pay a monthly "drought charge" for about three years from February, as officials try and raise R1bn annually while dams in the province recover from the worst dry spell in more than a hundred years.
Details about the proposed charge are contained in a report to be considered by the council of the City of Cape Town, which was signed on Friday by, among others, Mayor Patricia de Lille.
"If the necessary authority is granted, the January 2018 adjustment budget will include, for consideration by council, a submission to implement this drought charge... to raise an amount of approximately R420m in the 2017/18 financial year," the report says.
"In future years the drought charge would be required to raise funding of approximately R1bn per year while the dams recover from the unprecedented drought conditions."