Accidents happen and claiming for those misfortunes can be tedious if you are unaware of the proper processes to be followed.
What many Ekurhuleni residents may not know is that they can lodge a claim against the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) for any loss or damages that is a result of wrong doing on the part of the municipality.
A claimant must fill in the prescribed claim form and provide proof of negligence on the part of the municipality that resulted in the loss or damage of one’s property.
Prospective claimants should, however, take note of the following when submitting a claim:
The proof provided should indicate that losses suffered are attributable to an act of neglect or omission on the side of Council or any of its employees.
Claims must be quantified by attaching the monetary value to your claim and proof that the actual loss is equitable to the amount claimed. For this purpose, quotes, invoices, and photographic evidence is required.
The information submitted by the claimant, together with a report from the EMM Department responsible for the loss or damage, is submitted to Council’s insurers who will make a ruling on the claim.
If accepted, the claimant will receive an offer on an agreement of loss that needs to be signed and returned to the metro’s insurance section for processing. If the claim is rejected, the claimant will likewise be notified in writing and reasons supplied for the rejection.
“Residents must note that submission of a claim does not automatically imply that the claim will be settled. However, applicants not in agreement with a ruling made on their claim may appeal the ruling in writing, stating which factors they feel might have been omitted when considering the claim,” said the EMM’s spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe.
Mr Gadebe said payments for successful claims will be made through the normal expenditure payment processing system. The process is subject to timelines and processes and may take up to 30 days, depending on the authorisations which need to be obtained.
General liability claim forms and potholes claim forms can be obtained at the municipality’s insurance section, located on the ground floor at the Sanburn Building, 68 Woburn Avenue, Benoni.
For more information, prospective claimants can contact the insurance section on 011 999-6550 or 011 999-6547.
