NEWS RELEASE                                                                                         6 February 2001

CITY OF CAPE TOWN MOVING FAST ON FREE BASIC ELECTRICITY AND WATER

Good progress is being made by the new City of Cape Town Council on the delivery of free basic electricity and water for all Capetonians.

Following a national workshop in Pretoria last week, attended by both councillors and officials of the City, a draft policy will be presented to councillors at a workshop planned for 16 or 21 February, and a consolidated report will be presented to the Executive Committee in March.

The process is complicated by the fact that each of the six administrations in the previous dispensation used different tariff structures which are still in force.

City of Cape Town Councillor David Erleigh said implementation of the policy was seen by the DA-led Council as a priority. However, the process held implications for both the Council and the ratepayer, and the Council was determined to implement the plan in a responsible manner.

"I can say with certainty that the City of Cape Town is further advanced in the programme than most other metros," he said.

"By the end of March we are confident that we will be much closer to achieving our objective of free basic supply to all metered domestic consumers."

Councillor Erleigh said he was disappointed that the ANC was trying to make cheap political capital out of the issue when the ANC-controlled former Cape Town City Council had failed for five years to decide on the question of free basic services for the poor.

Mr Arthur Clayton of the City of Cape Town (CMC Administration) said the technical issues were being addressed as quickly as possible.

"The Council made a firm decision on the matter at its first meeting after the local government elections in December," he said. "We are moving as fast as we can bearing in mind the process that has to be followed."

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