ActionSA enters fray over eThekwini municipality’s ‘erroneous’ billing

ActionSA called on eThekwini municipality to scrap a three-year debt for free water it erroneously allocated to thousands of ratepayers.

The city has erroneously allocated six kilolitres of free water per month for three years to hundreds of households that exceed the R250,000 property value, which is the maximum to qualify for the relief.

Despite residents not being aware of the additional water supply, the city is claiming the money back from them, having implemented a “manual adjustment” to reverse the rebates from November.

Ratepayer organisations raised the alarm about the high bills and the adjustment for the free water listed on their latest water bills. 

On Wednesday, eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM) wrote to eThekwini CFO Dr Sandile Mnguni requesting an urgent meeting on the matter.

“Our members are troubled to accept this billing unless they have a better understanding of this error from the municipality,” said Asad Gaffar, chairperson of ERPM.

The movement, which represents at least 12 ratepayers groups in the city, also requested written confirmation that members who pay by debit order would not be charged the amounts in their latest bills until the dispute is resolved.

ActionSA has questioned the rationality of the municipality making residents pay for its “blunder.”

“Despite municipal leadership and management knowing the error was made by the municipality due to negligence, residents are expected to pay the full amount once-off or make arrangements to pay off the amount dating back to when the extra water supply began, therefore transferring the mess they had created to the people of eThekwini,” said provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango.

Mncwango noted the city had not conducted proper meter readings for four months because it has not appointed a new contractor, thus relying on estimations when billing residents.

“ActionSA has been religiously calling for the insourcing of skills that can be carried out internally by municipalities and government departments to avoid such blunders.”

Mncwango said they were troubled by the municipality slapping residents with higher bills and holding them responsible for paying off the money in spite of the city recording the highest tariff increases in the current financial year, with water seeing a 14.9% increase.

“The difficult situation within this municipality is that while they (residents) face the highest increases, eThekwini is one of the worst performing municipalities in the country, with ridiculously unacceptable rates of service delivery and a tourist attraction run to the gutter,” he said.

He said the party would not allow the “robbery” to go on.

The party will petition the eThekwini municipality to write of the debts when the council resumes from recess in January.

Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said residents should query their bills at their Sizakala offices, adding residents should continue paying rates while the matter is investigated.

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