Ratepayers’ associations provide a forum to discuss concerns of businesses ratepayers and residents. Associations commonly draw from members with business acumen and professional experience to tackle important issues. Member concerns or discussions can relate to improvements of local service delivery preservation of heritage, culture and natural environments. A rate payers association can be enormously rewarding, when seeing the significance of benefits to local communities. With Municipalities in turmoil political party infighting the need for rate payers associating are become increasingly important.
Further benefits of ratepayers’ associations is they can liaise directly with their municipality or with their elected representatives. As a single presence with no political affiliations, a resident and ratepayers association can represent its members at all levels of municipal service delivery. Working as a collective group united as a Rate Payers Organisation inform collating of data can identify issues that are major pressure points that are impeding growth in South Africa.
In recent years there has be an increase in litigation against defaulting and/or poor performing municipalities across the nation. Many municipalities are underperforming and act nonchalant and fail to uphold statutory obligations and dereliction duty is the norm rather than an exception.
In general, councillors must perform their duties in good faith, honestly, in a transparent manner, in the best interest of the municipality and without compromising the municipality’s credibility or integrity.