AfriForum demands answers regarding Mbombela borehole levies of up to R8 953 per month

AfriForum is seeking answers from the City of Mbombela Local Municipality regarding the Metro’s controversial new tariff on water supplied to properties via private boreholes. According to the Mbombela municipality’s tariff schedule for the 2026/27 financial year, residential properties will be charged R406.50 per month for borehole water connected to the property’s water system. Businesses will be charged R877.12, and where a business has more than one borehole, charges of up to R8,953.92 may apply.

The tariff forms part of the Mbombela municipality’s drainage and sewerage tariffs and, according to the municipality, was approved by the municipal council on 29 May 2026 and came into effect on 1 July 2026.

According to AfriForum, however, there is uncertainty regarding the tariff and its purpose.

“It is particularly concerning that residents and businesses who invest in alternative water supplies at their own expense are now facing additional fixed monthly charges ranging from R406.50 to as much as R8 953.92. If the municipality believes these charges are necessary to recover sewerage costs, it must be able to clearly demonstrate how each of these amounts was calculated, what service is being provided in return, and how they relate to actual usage of the municipal sewerage system,” says Lambert de Klerk, Manager of Environmental Affairs at AfriForum.

Mbombela’s tariff schedule already provides for a basic monthly sewerage charge for properties connected – or capable of being connected – to the sewerage network. The schedule also provides for additional sewerage charges calculated based on water consumption.

AfriForum therefore wants to know from the municipality, among other things, how the R406.50 tariff was calculated, which costs are recovered by it, and how the municipality determines the volume of privately obtained water that ultimately ends up in the municipal sewage system.

“There is a significant difference between someone who uses borehole water for household purposes and someone who uses their borehole exclusively to water their garden. If the water does not enter the municipal sewage system, one has to ask on what grounds the resident is required to pay the same fixed sewerage levy,” adds De Klerk.

AfriForum will study the municipality’s response and consider the matter with its legal team before deciding on further action.

“Municipalities must be compensated for the services they provide, but residents must at the same time be protected against charges that cannot be properly explained, calculated, and justified. AfriForum will therefore insist on full transparency regarding this tariff,” concludes De Klerk.