Welcome
To mossrates
Your Rates, Your Voice
About us
We are a registered non-profit civic watchdog and community forum, built on the collective strength of Mossel Bay’s residents, businesses, and local associations. Our mission is to unite the ratepayers of Mossel Bay and the surrounding areas under one banner, so we can stand together for fair, accountable representation. At the same time, we work to nurture, safeguard, and advance our community’s wellbeing and the interests of our ratepayers through active engagement, oversight, and constructive collaboration.
Individually we have no chance against larger principalities, but together we cannot be ignored.
Take a look at our posts
Explore the key issues, important developments, and community conversations
Rapid Urban Development
Every new development increases demand on municipal infrastructure: roads, water supply, wastewater treatment, stormwater systems, electricity networks, and public amenities. These systems have finite capacity and defined design limits.
What Is Illegal Land Occupation?
Illegal land occupation refers to the unauthorised settlement of people on land without legal title, planning approvals or municipal consent. These occupations often occur on open or undeveloped land, municipal reserves, or privately owned properties, and can evolve into semi-permanent settlements without basic services.
Waste Management and Recycling
The municipal landfill site currently accepts waste from Mossel Bay and neighbouring district municipalities. While this shared use spreads costs, it also accelerates landfill depletion and complicates long-term planning.
River and Estuary Pollution in Mossel Bay
Rivers and estuaries perform essential ecological functions: filtering pollutants, sustaining fish and bird life, recharging groundwater, and connecting terrestrial and marine ecosystems.
Unsustainable Municipal Rates
Mossel Bay’s property rates and fixed electricity charges have doubled within a short period, significantly outstripping both inflation and household income growth. This rapid escalation is largely driven by tariff decisions that prioritise raising revenue over cost-reflective and equitable charging.
Exclusion of Ratepayer Oversight from Council
South African local government operates within a constitutional framework that emphasises accountability, transparency, and participatory governance. Municipal councils are expected to encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in matters of local government.