Action SA protest over incorrect utility bills
“There are no meter readers who go about to obtain readings in this city. They have been estimating utility bills for more than a year, in some areas.”
Staggering amounts of residents and businesses owing thousands in rands, some figures more than R111 000, have brought back concerns over accuracy on Tshwane’s billing system.
This comes as Action SA protested outside Tshwane house on Lillian Ngoyi Street in the Pretoria CBD over alleged inflated and inaccurate utility bills.
Action SA Tshwane mayoral candidate Abel Tau said over 30 billing receipts that amounted to over a million rand were being disputed.
Tau said the disputes came after a series of meetings with residents in areas such as Centurion, Eersterust, Hammanskraal and Mabopane.
He said Action SA was against the inaccurate billing system, allegedly run by the Tshwane metro finance department.
“People of Tshwane are yet again battling the issue of incorrect bills.”
He said the metro had this week announced its strides in cutting its debt by less than R2.5-billion of an initial R3.5-billion debt.
Tau said this money was fraudulently obtained by the metro.
“There are no meter readers who go about to obtain readings in this city. They have been estimating utility bills for more than a year in some areas.”
Further Tau alleged that the incorrect billing was caused by the metro’s financial debt status and inability to pay staff by the end of August.
“There is a real threat that the city will not be able to pay salaries this month.”
He alleged that the incorrect billing was meant to recoup finances and make sure operations run smoothly.
Action SA member and Eersterust community leader Novina Pillay, addressing media, said they had found evidence of businesses and residents that did not owe Tshwane amounts billed to them for utilities.
There is a business that has not been operational for three years.
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“It is standing empty and there is no movement, so the water and electricity statement shows R0.00, however, Tshwane says he owes R930 780.”
An inquiry has since been sent to the Tshwane finance department, while metro official Aaron Mashilo collected the bills from Action SA.
Mashilo said the metro would investigate the accounts.
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The protest by Action SA comes as Tshwane mayor Randall Williams said Tshwane would implement credit control measures and disconnections against government departments and state entities who failed to pay for services.
“Tshwane is taking a zero-tolerance approach to clients that run up high accounts and fail to honour debt repayment commitments. This approach forms part of our plans to stabilise the city’s finances and increase revenue collection which will enable us to improve service delivery,” said Williams.
He said the metro was increasing pressure on the revenue management division to collect outstanding debt.
“Our targets include major clients, such as government departments and state entities, which have run up bills that they have failed to manage.
“While our aggressive debt collection approach may be unpopular with defaulting clients, we have already claimed millions of rands owed to us from the Department of Defence, Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco), Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI), along with other state entities.”
Tshwane also recently issued an ultimatum to the Madibeng local municipality to honour the debt repayment commitment for bulk water.
Spokesperson Selby Bokaba said Madibeng’s failure to pay would leave their water flow restricted with effect from this weekend.
“Tshwane supplies bulk water and electricity to a number of local municipalities, including Madibeng in the North West province. A commitment was made at a meeting between Tshwane and Madibeng officials on October 1, 2020 that the then current account for water usage would be paid monthly until the metering issues were resolved.”
Bokaba said Madibeng’s water account arrears in October 2020 stood at R170 244 537.
“The average monthly current account is more than R7-million and the total amount owed to the metro as beginning of August 2021 was R232 850 397.”
Selby said the Tshwane metro purchased bulk water from Rand Water at a cost of R280-million per month and its debtors book currently sat at R17-billion.
“The city will continue to intensify the enforcement of credit control to recoup the billions of rand it is owed by both business and residential customers to stabilise its finances and to enable it to render the much needed services.”
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