However, this sum is believed to be dwarfed by what municipal employees owe for services – but again ELM has disclosed no detail.

ELM stands accused of shielding senior political office bearers such as the Executive Mayor, members of his Mayoral Committee and the Speaker of Council from public scrutiny by not confirming or denying their payment status.

ELM also avoids saying whether services to these councillors have been cut, as it has done to other businesses and residents in recent weeks – many served with impossibly inflated billing.

Organised business is outraged at the lack of transparency and the protection of councillors from public scrutiny by ELM and the Speaker of Council, Maipato “Chu-Chu Shoes” Tsokolibane.

The Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC) says ELM must treat Councillors the same way it treats residents, however inconsistently.

“The GTCoC demands that delinquent councillors immediately have their lights cut off so that they can sit in the dark, just like they are in the dark in council about their jobs and role which taxpayers fund,” said GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger.

Kritzinger was scathing at employees who did not pay for services but were allowed to get away with it, adding employees were too many, vastly overpaid and the vast majority did absolutely no work.

“Past municipal managers have deliberately not demanded payment as patronage to bribe politicians/councillors and employees so that they do not get fired for incompetence and gross negligence by council. Now they can’t pay Eskom and Rand Water and many others,” said Kritzinger.

In confirming the collective R638 729.00 councillor arrears, ELM appealed to both municipal employees and councillors to pay for their services, but again did not say how many employees were in arrears and what they owe.

ELM said it would now start deducting arrears from councillor and employee salaries directly, which Kritzinger said was an admission that nothing concrete had been done about the issue previously.