Property owner thanks Tribune

After years of struggling to get the City of Johannesburg to correct her property’s account, a property owner is relieved that all has finally been sorted.

Gresswold resident, Thantshi Masitara, has been struggling to get the City to correct her property address for over eight years until North Eastern Tribune decided to investigate the matter, as reported in the article titled, Billing mistake may be resolved, Week ending 14 September, 2018.

Masitara has been threatened with power and water disconnections because of an incorrect address number. According to her, there was confusion regarding street numbers since she bought the property in 2006, and the City allocated three different addresses to her property.

She said one of the addresses which was purportedly hers, bore account details of the property a couple of houses from her property in the same street.

Masitara said that the City’s technicians would come to her property to disconnect services because the property, which was not hers, was in arrears.

“I would reconnect each time they disconnected power or water and I even went to an extent of purchasing a signage, which cost about R1 800, giving notice of property details including account and meter numbers and my personal details,” said Masitara.

“I went to all the City of Joburg departments seeking help but no one cared. City officials were not attentive and caring enough to listen, hear or understand what the problem was and as such, they responded very flippantly and inappropriately until I approached Tribune and within a matter of a week the matter was resolved.”

The problem was fixed in September but Masitara had to wait until she received the October bill which reflected the correct address.

She said the address was fxed following a street audit which was commissioned within a week of the publication of the article.

“It is so evident that if it was not for Tribune, things would have persisted – I now understand, appreciate and respect the role of journalism.

“I am very grateful for the contribution that the Tribune publication makes to community service delivery and wellbeing of residents…I now read the publication with reverence and appreciation.”

The matter has been resolved and Masitara said that all properties have been issued with letters confirming street addresses accompanied by a map showing a section of the suburb and how the numbering was synchronised with the rest.

“It is very clear now,” she concluded.

Details: Thantshi Masitara thantshim@pmaholding.co.za

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