Receiving a municipal bill of more than R30 000 with the electricity usage amounting to R25 000 can be nothing but heartbreaking especially if you have never used electricity of such an amount.
Well, Elna and Gert van der Linde in Duvha Park have that kind of a bill in their hands.
On Monday, April 8, they received their total municipal bill amounting to R31 244 and the electricity bill ranging around R25 000.
he couple ignored the bill and thought it was an error.
They continued to pay their regular municipal bill which ranges around R3 000 per month.
“We did however make contact with the accounts department at the municipality in an effort to confirm what we suspected that it was just another error. We were quite shocked to find out that it was not an error and we were informed by the accounts department of the municipality that our meter reading had not been taken in six months,” they said in a letter.
They were then told that it is not the municipality’s responsibility to check that the contractor doing the meter readings has in fact done his job.
They had arranged to pay off the large amount but then noticed the amount of units they were billed for.
“Somehow, it did not make any sense seeing that we had continued paying our average and still owed so much on the account. This prompted us to investigate a bit further and we acquired the services of an independent certified electrician to check our electricity meter.”
The electrician found that the prepaid meter on the electricity box was connected to the Van der Linde’s property.
“We have never requested nor authorised the installation of a prepaid meter, neither have we ever purchased electricity on prepaid,” they said.
In the beginning when they moved into the house, they noticed that the electricity kiosk box, where the electricity meters are located in is not locked.
“It has been like that from the day we moved into Mimie Rothman Street. We have also noticed people working in the box at odd hours. Our total account with the municipality has mostly stayed constant and we had no reason for concern,” they said.
eMalahlehi Municipal spokesperson Kingdom Mabuza said that people who have issues with their bills should make an appointment to see the municipal manager.
“If you are billed incorrectly, we will verify your claim and if you can prove that you did not consume the amount billed, then we will settle the bill. They can approach the manager and show proof that they are billed incorrectly,” he said.
