POLOKWANE – Frustrated residents from the former informal settlement of Disteneng in Seshego returned to the Polokwane Municipality’s rates hall on Tuesday after the municipality failed to respond to their memorandum of grievances by last Friday’s deadline.

The residents, joined by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), occupied the rates hall for almost two hours, demanding answers over alleged wrongful billing dating back to 2019.

EFF’s Mashapa Malema said Tuesday’s demonstration was a follow-up to an initial protest last week, when residents handed a memorandum to the municipality’s Member of the Mayoral Committee for Housing, Joosuf Pemma.

“Residents closed the rate hall because last week they marched to the same municipality and gave Pemma the memorandum about their discrepancies in Disteneng, where they are being charged from 2019, whereas they connected the electricity in 2020 and 2021,” Malema said.

“The municipality did promise to respond. They did not respond, and the residents promised they will come back. So they came back again today to demand the answers as put in the memorandum.”

Residents demand answers

Malema said residents waited inside the rates hall for almost two hours for a municipal representative to address them.

The issues raised include alleged incorrect billing, new electricity connections where cards are not working, and meters that residents say have not been properly connected.

Residents also criticised the municipality’s billing structures and called for immediate relief from fixed utility costs, saying high service fees are pushing vulnerable households further into debt as the municipality continues with its credit-control and electricity-disconnection drive across Polokwane.

Last week, Pemma received the memorandum on behalf of the municipality and told the media that the complaints centred on billing queries and electricity meter boxes allegedly not being properly connected in some homes.

“On behalf of the municipality, I have received the memorandum of grievances and we will duly investigate and we will respond to them within the timeline,” Pemma said at the time.

He noted that the memorandum did not include contact details when he signed for it and requested the information to ensure the municipality could respond directly to the residents.

Residents say problems date back years

Residents said their challenges date back to 2019 and had previously been raised without adequate assistance.

One resident said being registered for indigent programmes, which provide a portion of free water and electricity, had not resolved the problem. Attempts to pay off some of the outstanding debt had also failed.

“After paying off a larger part of the debt and leaving a smaller one, it only unveils some more in the next month,” the resident said.

Pemma had previously said he was confident the municipality would respond by Friday, but ruled out a blanket debt write-off.

“I’m confident that we will be able to respond by Friday. But as we all know there are billing issues; we cannot say we will just write off anybody’s account. One needs to look into the merits of each individual account,” he said.

By Tuesday, residents said they had received no response, prompting them to return to the rates hall to demand answers.

Polokwane Municipality spokesperson Willy Mosoma and Pemma have been approached for comment on the reason for the delay and the municipality’s response to the residents’ latest demonstration.

Their response will be included in a follow-up.