Latest news with #MargaretArnolds
News24
03-07-2025
- Politics
- News24
Margaret Arnolds voted back as JHB speaker
Margaret Arnolds was re-elected speaker of the Johannesburg council after securing 137 votes, reclaiming the seat she lost in August 2024.
IOL News
03-07-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
Margaret Arnolds re-elected as Joburg speaker, defeats DA's Alex Christians
African Independent Congress, Margaret Arnolds, elected new Speaker of the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) council. Image: X The outspoken, African Independent Congress (AIC) councillor, Margaret Arnolds, has been elected as Joburg Speaker again. In a surprising turn of events, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has put forward Alex Christians as its candidate for the Speaker position, marking a notable shift in the party's political strategy. DA Johannesburg Caucus Leader, Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku, confirmed that this was a call from the party's top brass, Federal Executive (FedEx). However, Christians could not match Arnolds. Three parties, the ATM, Al-Jamah and UDM were unhappy with the ANC again fielding Arnolds. Al-Jamah has three seats, and the other two have two seats each. All these parties have five seats in total, meaning they will have an impact on Arnolds election. All the parties in the Government of Local Unity (GLU) are supporting the ANC's pick. Arnolds got 137 votes beating Christians who got 68 votes. Yongama Zigebe from UDM received 5 votes. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The election was run by the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC). Arnolds was elected to be a speaker in the city council chamber in Braamfontein, Johannesburg on Thursday. Meanwhile, ANC regional secretary, Sasabona Manganye, expressed confidence before the voting process that Arnolds would become the speaker. Last week, City Mayor Dada Morero survived a motion of no confidence while the former speaker, Nobuhle Mthembu was removed from the position. Morero is on an international working trip and could not attend the sitting. He is the ninth mayor to be elected in the city since 2016. IOL Politics
eNCA
19-06-2025
- Business
- eNCA
What do you think of these steep tariff increases?
JOHANNESBURG - The Joburg metro council has approved new tariffs for 2025/26, effective from the 1st of July. Finance MMC Margaret Arnolds says the rate hikes will help the city manage costs while safeguarding impoverished communities. On the South African Morning soapbox, we ask: what do you think of these steep tariff increases?. eNCA reporter Pule Letshwiti-Jones was out and about in the streets of Johannesburg, to get opinion on this.
TimesLIVE
18-06-2025
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Joburg rates will rise in July
The City of Johannesburg has taken a decision to cushion its residents from high rate increases by not matching the tariff hikes by Eskom and Rand Water for the 2025/26 financial year. Instead of matching the proposed increase of 12.74% from Eskom, the city will limit its electricity increase to 12.5%. The electricity surcharge will remain at R270 and will only be charged once a month, and not every time a consumer loads electricity. However, residents will be paying more from July 1 for refuse removal, property rates and water. According to mayoral committee member responsible for finance Margaret Arnolds, the city has had to do a tough balancing act, juggling between prioritising the provision of basic services and ensuring that the most impoverished communities were protected. 'Tariffs are the lifeblood of local government finances. They make it possible for the city to clean our streets, electrify informal settlements, maintain infrastructure and expand all services. We also recognise that every rand charged must be justifiable, we don't want to take the money and not clarify what we have done with it,' she said. Arnolds said her administration has to be fair and responsive to the economic realities faced by residents and business. 'The work we do in setting these tariffs is not done in isolation. It is done within the framework of the government of local unity, a multiparty coalition committed to placing the people of Johannesburg above party politics.' Group CFO Tebogo Moraka said residents should not be worried about steep increases, revealing that discussions are being held at a national level. 'As metros, we are distributors of energy and water, so we get our tariff increases from the generators. We also need to play our part and ensure that the systems we are using are efficient. If there is efficiency, there could be savings that we can pass on back to the residents.'
IOL News
29-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Johannesburg's R89. 4 billion budget faces fierce opposition from councillors
City of Johannesburg debated the R89.4 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year on Thursday at the council chambers in Braamfontein. Image: Nhlanhla Phillips / Independent Newspapers City of Johannesburg opposition councillors on Thursday were critical of several aspects of the R89.4 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year, saying it ignored the crisis facing the municipality. Finance MMC Margaret Arnolds tabled the budget, which she said was fully funded, and announced plans to get the country's economic hub back on track. DA shadow finance MMC Chris Santana said Johannesburg, South Africa's economic heartbeat, is in crisis, and that systemic inefficiencies, misplaced priorities, and a lack of accountability have eroded its potential. He said infrastructure lies in neglect, leaving the forgotten ratepayers and residents of Soweto, Orange Farm, Lenasia, Roodepoort, Randburg, Sandton, Alexandra, and Diepsloot to bear the burden of the city's failure in delivery. 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Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Santana added that the DA rejected the business-as-usual approach, which places undue strain on residents already grappling with economic hardships. Instead, the DA has proposed a 0% increase in property rates, which reflects stagnant or declining property values due to infrastructure decay, 12.41% for electricity, 13.9% for water, 4.6% for sanitation linked to property rates for residential users, and refuse removal to balance affordability and service delivery. On Wednesday, Arnolds announced a 12.5% increase in electricity, reflecting the approved tariff increase of 12.41%, which is passed through from Eskom. In addition, water and wastewater charges will be up by 11.8%, which Arnolds said was underpinned by an average tariff increase capped at 13.9%, despite Rand Water's 15.3% hike. The municipality is also increasing refuse removal revenue by 6.4% while property rates, which are the city's second-largest revenue stream, increase by 4.6%. Santana said the City of Johannesburg should cap employee-related costs at 4.6% in line with inflation and dissolve non-performing municipal-owned entities' boards to curb wasteful expenditure. He also said councillors' remuneration increases should be reduced to 3%, reflecting fiscal restraint. Other proposals include maintaining debt impairment at 0% increase by enhancing revenue collection strategies, and also capping other losses at 0% by addressing technical and non-technical losses at City Power and Joburg Water. Santana said on the basis of these interventions, the municipality would still end up with a surplus of R3.7bn before capital transfers and taxation. 'We reject the network capacity charge for customers not directly supplied by City Power for reliance on its network. This charge, ranging from R70 to R280.30, excluding value-added tax (VAT), requires clarity and public consultation to ensure fairness,' he said. Arnolds indicated that the controversial prepaid electricity surcharge will remain unchanged at R200 (excluding VAT), which is a deliberate act to protect the poor against rising energy costs. However, ActionSA councillor Lebo Modukanene said the R200 prepaid electricity surcharge is legalised extortion. 'This flat rate is legalised extortion, it is a poverty tax, it punishes pensioners in Moffatview Old Age Home, whose slips show half their grants spent on electricity,' she said.
