Pay Back The Money, Ilembe!

I have tried in vain to get the Ilembe District Municipality to refund my water deposit of R650 after closing my account on May 31, 2014.

Three registered letters later (R22.90 each) to the municipal manager, copies to the Mayor and emails to five staff officials who give me different delay tactics like “Your query is being attended to and you will be advised of progress” or ” Manager Revenue who will be assisting with your query” and finally,”I will be accelerating the sorting out of this query”. All talk and no action. I don’t believe a word they tell me now.

I haven’t got a query but a refund claim i.e. they have my money already so “Pay back the money”! Twice I have been asked to send in my refund deposit application (IDM00900) which states “your refund will be processed in 4 to 6 weeks”, dated 8/6/15 which is already 17 weeks ago.

Deposits are required by law to be ring-fenced as the money does not belong to the municipality. Has the money disappeared, been used elsewhere or is there a cash flow problem? Then there is the non-payment of staff group life scheme which Ilembe workers went on rampage about and were given a home owner allowance sweetener. R24,472million worth of water has disappeared? What else has disappeared that the public don’t know about?

I tried to search for their balance sheet on the Internet and the website states “copy to be attached”, so I wasn’t able to check if the water deposit monies were still there.

At this rate, the Auditor General will have a field day trying to sort out this financial mess.

Pay back the money, pay back the money, pay back the money!

FRANK DU TOIT

Ballito