Municipality denies overcharging residents on taxes and rates
Deon Bonthuys is accusing the metro of extortion after it installed a smart meter in his home in 2021.
A Pretoria resident, Deon Bonthuys, has accused the city of extortion and corruption.
“I want to bring to your attention how corrupt (still) and extortionate (still) the Tshwane metro is: A final demand for R62 690 for a small residential home, for totally fictitious, massively-inflated electricity estimates that they are unwilling to investigate let alone resolve,” Bonthuys wrote of the metro.
Bonthuys said his troubles started in 2021 when the municipality started installing smart meters.
“All the trouble started back in 2021 when a smart meter was hurriedly fitted by the metro (or one of its contractors) without any prior notice whatsoever. The contractors were absolutely clueless in even getting the meter activated and we were without electricity for a day until another team came along to activate the meter.”
The Tshwane municipality has refuted claims that it was overcharging its residents on rates and taxes.
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the municipality was not engaging in unscrupulous methods or any unethical billing.
Mashigo urged residents to familiarise themselves with the new tariffs to work out how much electricity they consume.
Mashigo urged all residents with billing problems to go to the metro’s customer care centre in their area.
The metro started installing smart meters two years ago.
The project was met with resistance from some residents, who claimed that the meter failed to alert them when the electricity was low, adding that they also had difficulty checking their balance online.
They also claimed the smart meters system did not allow them to buy more than R1 000 worth of electricity.
ALSO READ: School for visually impaired CBD relocates entrance gate
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
