Let’s hashtag the metro’s final notices

MOSES SEKETI Palm Avenue writes:

I agree 100 per cent with Blanchard Laing whose letter last week expressed anger at how Ekurhuleni Metro treats Kempton residents with utter disdain by issuing final notices accompanied by a fine after the due date on council statements has been exceeded by only a day or two.

Of course it is shameful that they fail to even consider leniency if the ratepayer has had a perfect payment history for many years, or to consider the reason for an isolated late payment. It could, for instance, be caused by municipal statements being delivered late or not delivered at all by the still dysfunctional Post Office. If accounts do arrive, they are invariably a month late.

Also read:

• Final notice charged after payment of account

• Metro entitled to deliver final notices

Many people can overcome such inconveniences with the usual lack of assistance from council and make a plan to take time off work and stand in long queues at council offices to obtain payment details. But what do the many unfortunate elderly and infirm people do?

When my elderly Gogo (granny) does not receive her account, she can’t go to the council offices and stand in the long queues. Also, the Kempton Park switchboard has been equally dysfunctional since Noah built the Ark.

Its impossible to get through to anyone in the accounts department or any other section. The Ekurhuleni Call Centre inexplicably does not have access to ratepayers’ municipal account details. My granny is also not computer literate and is therefore unable to use the internet to access account info on eSiyakhokha.

What is infuriating is the unfairness and lack of balance from government agencies. If you are a day late they hammer you with penalty fines, but if they are in any way at fault it is not possible for the public to take action against them and get a penalty rebate for their incompetence.

There was a period when I couldn’t even access account info on eSiyakhokha. Their call centre agent told me the council accounts department is regularly late in supplying them with the relative data.

Of course, there is no way to get recompense from them for such incompetence. How satisfying it would be to levy a heavy fine on the council when our electricity or water supply is interrupted, or on SARS when they are late in paying out tax rebates.

Consumer protection bodies like the Consumer Commission have been a huge disappointment. So maybe ratepayers should follow the example of the university students whose highly successful and generally disciplined #FeesMustFall campaign has shown that the only language government understands is a united, concerted protest action to counter their arrogance and lethargy?