City announces water-billing plan
Ratepayers have until March 31 to visit any of the Sizakala Centres listed below to enter into a payment plan.
THE eThekwini Municipality has released a statement addressing customers affected by the technical error of 6kl of water undue credit to their accounts, saying they will need to sign up for a payment plan. This was to correct the reading of 6kl of free basic water that was incorrectly applied to consumers whose properties were above the R250 000 threshold.
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The billing adjustment affects less than 10% of the taxpayers in the city. The City says the customers will need to pay a fee of R180 per month on their municipal bill until the debt is paid in full. The City has further made provisions for the affected customers who wish to go directly to the centres on or before March 31.
The payment also carries the following conditions:
• The payment plan will be guided by the maximum repayment of R180 per month for a period not exceeding 36 months.
• Interest accrued will be reversed / written off.
• No interest will be charged for the duration of the agreed repayment period.
• The payment plan will be for the total debt owed by the customer.
• If the customer has an existing plan, this will be cancelled, and a new agreement will be entered into without any down payment.
• The conditions of the previous debt relief will apply to all customers affected by the water-billing adjustment.
eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana explained: “The above conditions only apply to customers who were affected by water-billing adjustments. Should customers fail to visit our Customer Service Centres and enter into a payment plan on or before the deadline, credit control and debt collection measures will come into effect.”
Sisilana added that Revenue Clearance Certificates will only be issued once all the debt has been settled, including total debt in respect of the water adjustment.
Customers can visit the following Sizakala Centres:
• Florence Mkhize Building (former Martin West Building)
• Phoenix Branch Office
• Verulam
• Tongaat
• KwaMashu Main
• Midway Crossing
• Chatsworth Branch Office
• Shallcross Sizakala
• uMlazi Mega City Sizakala
• KwaMnyandu Sizakala Mall
• Winkelspruit
• Craigieburn
• Hillcrest
• Pinetown Civic Centre
• Clermont
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