Pretoria - The City of Tshwane is set to encounter fierce resistance from township residents if it goes ahead with its planned #TshwaneYaTima aggressive revenue collection drive and disconnects water and electricity to defaulting homeowners.
City spokesperson Selby Bokaba said they were finalising logistics to vigorously pursue defaulting township customers who owed a combined R7.3 billion.
However, the chairperson of the Lotus Gardens, Atteridgeville, Saulsville Civic Association, Tshepo Mahlangu, said the City had already experienced resistance last Thursday when officials were stopped in Atteridgeville when they tried to disconnect defaulters’ electricity.
“Our people stopped the City, and we immediately called MMC for Finance, Peter Sutton. First of all, this #TshwaneYaTima campaign is illegal on the basis that it seeks to make homeowners make payment arrangements for bills that were generated illegally over the years through estimates.
“Legally, they know they were supposed to do actual meter readings every three months to generate accurate bills, but they did not have a capacity. Instead of addressing that adequately, they recruited agencies to come and push our people and force them to enter into payment arrangements of bills that have been estimated for years,” Mahlangu said.
“Second to that, our people have been working with the City to address an affordability challenge whereby so many of our elderly, child-headed, grant-dependent households applied to be placed on the indigent list, and they have been waiting for feedback. So how do you come when that process is ongoing and cut their electricity and water?
“We have said to the City and Sutton that we do not have a problem paying. Our people do not want to use for free and not pay. They just do not want to tie themselves to paying bills generated from estimates. Give our people accurate bills and address the issue of affordability for those families that qualify, and we are with you.”
Another thing that frustrated people was that although they had arrears, some were contributing something to the revenue of the City.
“However, the City wants to cut their supply while informal settlements that are also homes to many illegal immigrants continue to use electricity for free, illegally.
“On top of that, they also receive water through water tankers for free. But these ones who pay something must be disconnected.
“We are having a mass meeting this Sunday with Sutton and other City officials to engage on these matters. We also want them to see that if they cut the electricity to homeowners in the townships, they will encourage tampering of meters and illegal connections. Subsequently, the City’s revenue collection will decrease even further.”
According to Bokaba, defaulting township customers were made up of residents, businesses, councillors, employees and government departments whose accounts were in arrears.
“As of June 30, Mamelodi and Nellmapius customers had the highest debt of more than R2.1bn, followed by Soshanguve customers who owe the city over R1.1bn. Atteridgeville, Lotus Gardens and Saulsville customers have a combined debt of R713m.”
Babelegi and New Eersterus in Region 2 owed close to R643 million, while customers in Ekangala, Refilwe Ext, Rethabiseng, RiamarPark and Zithobeni in Region 7 owed the City R527m, Bokaba said.
“In Eersterust, near Mamelodi, customers are more than R170m in arrears. The City is also owed more than R60m by Olievenhoutbosch-389 and Olievenhoutbosch customers. Ga-Rankuwa, Mabopane and Winterveldt’s combined figure is the lowest at just over R19m.”
He said the City would like to encourage customers6 whose accounts were in arrears to settle their accounts, and if they could not afford this they should contact customer care to make a payment arrangement to avoid the discontinuation of services.
Pretoria News