The Tshwane metro said it has successfully reversed and credited over 90% of the accounts that were unlawfully invoiced for the R194 ‘cleansing levy’ beginning in July.

The refunds form part of its efforts to align with the High Court’s decisions issued on July 31 and November 18.

This comes after weeks of public frustration, with many households that use private refuse collection services insisting they were charged unlawfully.

According to metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, the refunds form part of its commitment to fully comply with the ruling delivered last month.

“The city acted swiftly once the legal position was clarified,” said Mashigo.

Mashigo said the metro is strengthening its compliance with the High Court ruling on the cleansing levy by reversing and crediting more than 90% of affected accounts.

He added that the metro remains committed to honouring the judgment in full.

“The city has stopped applying the levy to households that rely on private refuse collectors, even though this has a significant impact on the city’s cost-recovery efforts for waste management,” he said.

While most billing corrections have been completed, Mashigo warned that some properties may still see partial cleansing-levy charges appearing on their December statements.

He explained that this is due to the system during the billing cycle.

“These accounts are being monitored daily, and any incorrect charges will be automatically reversed.”

Mashigo said the metro apologised for the inconvenience caused.

“We assure residents that any residual amounts are being corrected proactively and without the need for customers to log queries,” Mashigo said.

He thanked residents and businesses for their patience as the metro finalises all remaining adjustments.

Several residents confirmed receiving SMS notifications from the metro promising that the outstanding refunds will reflect in their next billing cycle.

Many say the credits indeed appeared as was communicated to them.

Despite the financial setback, the metro said it remains committed to constitutional principles of accountability, responsible financial management, and respect for judicial processes.

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