‘AbaQulusi owes me R148K’

CHEATED and disrespected, this is how local small business owner Bongani Hlatshwayo said he felt after the AbaQulusi Municipality failed to pay the R148 000 they owe him.

Bongani owns a water tanker truck business called CEEWAi Trading and Projects, which is based in Mondlo and was started in 2013.

“I started this business as a means to look after my family and make an honest living,” Bongani said.

In May last year, Bongani was approached by the AbaQulusi Municipality who wanted to use his water tanker truck to supply water to the Mondlo community following riots in the streets of Mondlo when angry community members had broken a pump which carried water to the Mondlo Water Purification Plant.

“When they approached me there was a sense of urgency to their pleas, they asked if I could please do the job for them and write up invoices and that all my money would be paid in full. As a member of the Mondlo community, I was aware of the desperate condition the community was in without water and thus I agreed that I would write up invoices and my money would be paid up after the job was done,” said Bongani.

After transporting the water, Bongani then drew up his invoice (the cost of which went up to R60 000), submitted them and waited for the municipality’s response.

Their response was another cry for help as rioting Mondlo community members then blew up a transformer in the area, in an attempt to get the municipality’s attention.

“I was again called upon to help transport water to various parts of Mondlo and was told that all this money, including that from my previous service, would be paid up in full,” Bongani said.

After this second call, the small business owner said that he never heard a word from the municipality.

“I wrote an email to them inquiring about my money and got no response. I then went to their offices personally to see what the problem was. There I was sent from pillar to post, each person saying that they could not help me and referring me to the other,” said an angry Bongani.

On the 30th of October 2015, an email, which was sent to the director of technical services, was forwarded to Bongani.

“In the email, the MM was asking the director to fast track the payment of the first deal which was done in May. To this day I wait to hear what the director of technical services has to say. I spent everyday last week at the MM’s office trying to get to the bottom of the matter but to no avail,” Bongani said.

The business owner said that he has gone as far as writing to the Department of Small Business Development about his situation.

The Vryheid Herald was still awaiting response from the AbaQulusi Municipality at the time of going to print.

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