The City of Cape Town has taken a no-nonsense approach to Sea Point residents who have been participating in a rates boycott by cutting off their water and deducting outstanding rates from prepaid electricity purchases.

A Cape Argus report notes that residents under the banner of the Concerned Residents of Atlantic Seaboard, co-ordinated by Sea Point resident Paul Jacobson, have slammed the city for what they call ‘ruthless and insensitive’ treatment.

‘Without due notification, they have stopped the supply of water to certain homes. They have deducted monies owed on rates from prepaid electricity,’ said Jacobson.

He said residents were not only struggling to keep up with the rates, but were faced with increases.

The residents have been on a partial rates boycott since August. They have accused the city of neglecting the area and delivering poor services.

They have slammed the city for its unwillingness and/or inability to stem the flow of homeless people, vagrants, aggressive begging, crime, illegal parking attendants on the Atlantic Seaboard and its failure to enforce its own by-laws in relation to public nuisance, dumping and litter.

They said they would withhold 50% of their rates for as long as the failures and breaches of duty by the city continued.

The city’s CFO Kevin Jacoby said: ‘The City’s Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy is implemented across the board and all due process is followed, including various warnings.’

He added there was no legal basis for rates to be withheld.

Full Cape Argus report