Municipal billing chaos
The billing chaos again reared its head in Soshanguve this month with most residents reporting they received abnormally inflated bills.
David Matsena
Several residents of Soshanguve have expressed shock over their latest municipal billing for last month.
The residents, most of them pensioners, told Rekord they went to the Tshwane metro office to query “abnormal bills”…but were told they have to pay what they have been billed.
Grace Matlaole of Block G said her water and electricity bills were abnormally higher than previous months – actually more than double.
She and several other residents contacted Rekord after not getting help from the metro.
After being presented with about 11 queries, the metro said it required more time to respond.
Rekord spoke to a few pensioners who received what they thought are “incorrect bills”.
Water leaks and inaccurate meter readings were blamed.
Isaac Sikhu of Block F said he usually paid between R300 and R350 for water but in October his bill was R1 701.34 with the ‘actual’ usage reading recorded as 5 815.
He reported this as incorrect, because even now, three months later, the meter had not reached that number.
Maria Makhubele of Block G said she had a prepaid electricity meter installed, but was ‘billed’ for the wrong water reading anyway as the outstanding amount for water was deducted from her prepaid electricity account for September.
The complainants said they told the metro they were pensioners and could not afford the high bills.
“They just told us we have to pay what appears on our statements,” said Elisabeth Mathabatha of Block F whose bill for October is R3 600.45.
Mathabatha said her water bill for September had been R313.
She said there was a water leak outside her yard which she reported six months prior.
“They never came to repair the leak, and I suspect I am being forced to pay for what is their problem,” she said.
According to the metro, it strives to obtain actual meter readings for all meters on a monthly basis.
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