The Ramsgate Review

Ramsgate Ratepayers & Residents Association (RRRA) Newsletter May 2026

It has been some time since the last Ramsgate Review, and we have a wealth of community information and critical updates to share with you. 2026 has already proven to be a defining year of collaboration and achievement.

In February, a landmark meeting was held between the Ramsgate Ratepayers and Residents Association, the Ramsgate Urban Development Precinct, Ramsgate Lions, Ramsgate Tourism, Tidy Towns Ramsgate, and the Ramsgate CPF. Our core objective was to determine how we can best pool our resources and collaborate on projects that directly benefit the ratepayers and residents of Ramsgate.

During this session, a “Meet the NGOs Day” was proposed for the 21st of March. The goal was to provide a platform for residents to engage with all the active non-profit organizations operating in our area, with the hope of inspiring volunteers to step forward and offer services that add value to local community projects.

Association Achievements & Events Ramsgate RRA AGM

On the 14th of March, the Association held its Annual General Meeting (AGM). The meeting was exceptionally well attended. The agenda’s primary features included:

~ The Chairperson’s Report Back: An overview of the year’s challenges and achievements.

~ Financial Statements: A transparent presentation of the association’s current financial standing.

~ Project Success Reports: A review of the successful Run for Ramsgate fundraiser and the ongoing Village Improvement Programme.

Ramsgate NGO Day

Following the AGM, the highly anticipated Ramsgate NGO Day took place on the 21st of March at the local Lions Club. This fantastic event allowed each local NGO to host a dedicated stand, prompting many highly fruitful conversations with residents.

Event Highlights: The atmosphere was heightened by live entertainment and a wide variety of stalls offering delicious food, handcrafted items, plants, and flowers.

The day was an overwhelming success. All participating organizations expressed deep gratitude for the high number of community members who stepped forward to offer their specialized skills for future projects.

Municipality Engagement & Service Delivery

Throughout the year, the Ramsgate RRA has aggressively attended numerous meetings with municipal entities to demand and secure improvements in local service delivery.

Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM)

The RRRA participates in monthly meetings with the heads of departments from Ray Nkonyeni Municipality to raise systemic issues and track municipal performance.

Service Delivery Bottlenecks

~ Tree Felling: At our meeting on March 27th, we were informed that no major tree felling has occurred for the entire financial year because the municipality has failed to appoint a service provider.

~ Verge Clearing: Contractors are currently working on unstable month-to-month contracts because permanent contracts have not been finalized. Furthermore, underperformance by these temporary contractors has resulted in a suboptimal quality of service.

~ Internal Resources: Critical staff shortages continue to cripple service delivery, and there appears to be very little budget available to rectify the issue.

~ Eskom Debt Escalation: Disappointingly, the debt owed by Ray Nkonyeni to Eskom rose from R45 million to a staggering R71 million earlier this year.

2026/2027 Budget Overview & Recovery Plan

On the 8th of April, the Association attended the official RNM budget meeting, where the Municipal Manager presented an expenditure budget of R1.47 Billion for the 2026/2027 financial year.

The full, comprehensive budget document is available to view on the official RNM website.

Key Takeaways from the Budget Presentation:

~ Performance Management: A new performance management system is being rolled out across the municipality to address poor service execution.

~ Pothole Repair: R28 million has been explicitly allocated to repair potholes, accompanied by a repeated assurance that the municipality intends to open its own asphalt plant.

~ Eskom Debt Mitigation: We were advised that the Eskom debt has since been managed down to R51 million. The March account was paid in full, and a structured payment arrangement has been set up to run until July.

~ EPWP Program Funding: The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) will only receive partial funding this year, which will unfortunately result in decreased service delivery levels.

~ Project Constraints: To carefully manage cash flow, new municipal projects will strictly not begin until legacy projects are completely finished.

~ Timeline: The Municipal Manager estimates that the municipal turnaround and recovery plan will take two years to fully reach fruition.

Positively, the municipality explicitly confirmed its intention to work directly with Ratepayers and Residents Associations to get infrastructure and services back on track.

South Coast Ratepayers and Residents Association

Ramsgate RRA maintains active membership in the broader South Coast Ratepayers and Residents Association, which unites all coastal associations under a single, powerful platform. This combined collective allows us to escalate shared issues and demand accountability.

~ Electricity vs. Roads: Regional feedback indicates that while the RNM Electricity Department is performing relatively well, the Roads Department remains particularly poor.

~ Grant Funding: The association was warned that any regional projects dependent on external government grants are highly unlikely to receive funding this year.

~ UGU Escalations: The broader association is putting immense pressure on UGU to prioritize correct consumer billing and prompt error correction.

UGU District Municipality (Water & Sanitation)

On the 21st of May, your committee attended an intensive session with UGU officials to voice infrastructure concerns, review completed work, and receive an update on regional stability.

~ Reservoir Status: A system overview of the South Sector (which directly feeds Ramsgate) indicates that water levels are fairly stable, with both the Ramsgate North and Ramsgate South reservoirs holding good levels.

~ Infrastructure Risks: A primary concern remains that Ramsgate’s underground water infrastructure is rapidly aging and highly susceptible to sudden breaks or leakages.

Severe Financial Constraints & Debt Amnesty

The UGU Finance Department presented a dismal perspective on the municipality’s current financial status. UGU is currently owed a staggering R1.9 Billion in overdue accounts, with private citizens accounting for R1.5 Billion of that total. This deficit has created crippling cash-flow problems for utility operations.

To alleviate this burden and assist residents in financial distress, UGU is running an aggressive debt relief incentive programme: