EDITORIAL | Tshwane’s disconnection spree is welcome, but it should cut off its crowing

Over the past week Tshwane has been on a mission. It has spent hours per day going from road to road, building to building, switching off power for non-payment.

And it’s been crowing publicly about it. The city’s social media feeds — Twitter in particular — have boasted about its actions under the hashtags #CoTRevenueCollection and #TshwaneYaTima (which translates roughly to “Tshwane is switching off”).

Nobody has escaped the disconnection spree. The department of agriculture, land reform and rural development was cut off for an approximately R840,000 bill, AgriSETA for R3.3m, the department of infrastructure development for R245m and the public works department for R110m.

Denel was cut off; the State Theatre was cut off. Even an adult lounge was disconnected. The former two have, according to that vocal Twitter feed, since paid. So has the University of Pretoria.

Reaction to the campaign has been mixed. Many are in full support, arguing that it’s a positive sign that services must be paid for.

Detractors, however, argue that the city is being overzealous and its very public display of force is nothing more than a publicity stunt. There is also criticism that the spree doesn’t take into account the tough financial situations many find themselves in and that some of the disconnections have been against customers who are disputing their bills.

The city is adamant that its actions are above board. It also said it had no option but to take action, given how much money it is owed: a staggering R17bn. Tshwane mayor Randall Williams said the city will go after debtors who consume its resources free, but owe it millions. According to Williams, about R1.3bn is owed by government departments and embassies, R4bn by businesses and R8bn by residential customers.

Even provincial cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Lebogang Maile threw his weight behind the DA-led council’s actions, saying those who use services must pay for them. However, Maile called  for the city to be mindful that SA is a “developmental state” and take cognisance of those who are unable to pay.

Ultimately the city’s actions must be applauded. A culture of payment must be created. It cannot be that some pay and others don’t because this risks alienating those who do and could turn them into non-payers.

However, the city would do well to tone down its approach. Its very vocal crowing won’t endear it to many and could have the opposite effect.