City will probe Tau court orders

The City of Johannesburg has ordered an investigation into how mayor Parks Tau received two contempt of court orders in the space of a few weeks.

City manager Trevor Fowler yesterday said disciplinary steps will be taken against employees who were supposed to ensure that the council responded to the order.

Last week, a contempt of court order was granted against Tau, who was accused of ignoring it.

The order was issued to Tau as chief executive of the city.

Managing agents of a Randburg complex, Castle Hill, disputed a municipal rates bill which showed that it owed the council over R2.6-million.

The managing agents of the complex took the city to the Johannesburg High Court in June 2012 after the council failed to have the bill rectified.

In November last year, the court ordered the city to replace the complex's electricity meter and adjust its accounts within 15 days. The city failed to adhere to the order and the agents filed for contempt of court. The city was given three months to correct its mistake but it never did.

Two weeks ago, Tau and his mayoral committee were also ordered to pay a contempt of court fine of R50 000 after the council refused to issue the Hellenic Community with a correct bill.

Said Fowler : "Necessary disciplinary steps will be taken to remedy the obvious breakdown in the administrative systems related to the orders."

In February last year, a report by the auditor-general showed that the city had overcharged residents for refuse removal by R258-million. The report said this was due to a breakdown in monitoring systems.

The report also said about R1.2-billion owed to the city was unlikely to be recovered.

In August last year, the city was also forced to apologise to the late president Nelson Mandela's family for delivering an incorrect arrears ultimatum.