TCM blames local estate agents and property developers for revenue loss.

LYDENBURG – “White estate agents and property developers are milking the municipality”.

This is according to Thaba Chweu acting municipal manager, Mr Jonathan Nkosi, who addressed local media during a special briefing session on Wednesday.

Nkosi issued a stern warning to, especially local estate agents and developers, who fail to pay for services provided by the municipality and added that “for too long have estate agents and developers gone untouched”.

According to him, a large section of the massive Eskom debt accumulated by the municipality is due to non-payment of rates and service charges by property agents and developers.

“They don’t care about the municipality’s losses, only their own profit,” said Nkosi.

He did, however, acknowledge that TCM too has a stake in the under-collection of revenue and has sworn that it will try to right the wrongs of the past.

“We did not do things right. There has been poor control in the past, but we are going to deal with that. Council has resolved that in the future we will no longer deal with third parties, only with property owners,” said Nkosi.

He explained that as part of a global turnaround strategy, TCM will install meters at every substation to ensure that residents are billed correctly and added that those who fail to comply, would find themselves in a legal battle with the municipality.

“We are going to gun for them. We will auction the businesses of those who have developed property without the consent from council.”

“We will change the by-laws and even sell the property of those who don’t pay,” explained Nkosi.

The media was invited to highlight certain problems that the municipality have picked up during their investigations into the financial management of the institution, as well as to identify ways of turning the municipality’s bleak state of affairs around.