‘I am scared to lose my house’: Israel Matseke Zulu frustrated over R50k municipal debt

Actor Israel Matseke Zulu says he is worried about losing his property after receiving a municipal bill of about R50 000, which he believes is incorrect.

Zulu visited the City of Johannesburg’s Thuso House on Monday to make payment arrangements. However, he found the customer service centre closed.

“I wasn’t surprised when I saw the cameras here and heard that the sheriff had come. They have taken the city’s resources as the department of Joburg city. It doesn’t surprise me. There are a lot of problems happening here,” he told eNCA outside Thuso House.

Zulu said he has experienced service delivery problems for years.

“My water was disconnected without any notice. I haven’t had water I think for two years. We do not have electricity, I think for seven years,” he said.

He said he bought a house in Marlboro Gardens in 2011 but later abandoned it after it was occupied by people who had moved in without permission.

“There are invaders there, people from outside Johannesburg came to stay forcefully. The environment has changed, they are using the bucket system and the place is stinking. I had to abandon my house and buy another one, so I am paying double [for two houses],” he said.

Zulu said he went to Thuso House to arrange payment.

“I was here to solve a matter of R50 000, for the intruded house I think the bill is about R10 000, the other 40 I do not know, but because I am scared to lose my house, I had to make an arrangement to pay that money even though I do not know who I am paying,” he said.

City explains Thuso House closure

The City of Johannesburg said the customer service centre was closed after it was affected by an area-wide power outage and a technical failure of the building’s backup generator.

The city advised residents to use alternative service channels, including the e-Joburg portal, the CSD mobile app and its call centre while normal operations are being restored.