City blamed for high utility bills

RESIDENTS have blamed the city for failing to do regular meter readings and accused them of incompetency which resulted in exorbitant or incorrect water and electricity bills.

Scores of ethekwini residents have received utility bills running into thousands of rand. One such resident was pensioner and widow, Gengamma Naidoo, who got a shock when she received her bill of over R34 000.

“The shock of seeing such a high amount has made me more ill.”

Naidoo, 72, of Northcroft in Phoenix, said it was just she and her unemployed son who lived in their home.

“I always pay about R2500 every month around the 20th of the month.

“Due to Covid, my son lost his job. My daughter has been helping me to pay the bill. I have not been in arrears or had my electricity disconnected. I had to go by taxi to the municipality offices in town and Verulam and no one was able to help me.

“They say it’s the current account bill. I must make arrangements to pay. I cannot understand how this bill would suddenly be so high, yet we pay every month,” said Naidoo.

She said she was hoping her local councillor would be able to help resolve the matter.

Jonathan Annipen, a Phoenix councillor, said he had helped a number of Phoenix residents recently because meter readings were not done, yet they were billed whatever amount was assumed.

“In some instances, electricity has been cut and water supply stopped or meters removed, only to discover that the customer had been put through all this distress when it was because of the city’s incompetence,” he said.

Annipen said the revenue management system (RMS) has been fraught with technical challenges that had contributed to the issue of incorrect billing.

“Residents are forced to enter into credit arrangements with the city and are threatened with disconnections if they don’t.

“No one is interested in addressing the RMS shortcomings,” said Annipen.

He said there was a need for a full and independent audit of the system.

“We also advise customers to scrutinise their bills and ensure that the charges are in line with standard rates for services,” said Annipen.

He said in the last two weeks he had assisted people and was able to write off a collective total of R500 000.

An elderly couple in Parlock were also recently slapped with a R35000 bill. “I knew it was incorrect as my bill was always paid in full timeously and never had any balance owing.

“A month after receiving the bill, municipal workers came to my home. I assumed they were there to read the meter. Instead, without warning, they disconnected the electricity.

“According to the reading on the meter and what was on the bill were vastly different. I had to then go to offices in town and thereafter referred to the electricity department in umhlanga and then to another office.

“After pointing out the inaccuracies, they admitted it was an error and the problem was resolved. I was, however, told to pay the R500 reconnection fee,” said the 81-year-old pensioner.

He said the problem was that meters were not read timeously and regularly.

“It is frightening. We were inconvenienced for two days without electricity. It caused unnecessary stress,” he said.

Recently the political party, African Democratic Change called upon residents to join the placard demonstration in protest against unaffordable and unjust municipal bills.

ethekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said their investigation showed no problem or errors in the billing.

“There is no increase amount billed,” he said.

Mayisela said regarding Naidoo, the customer had a payment plan which she signed in December last year.

“As per the rules, when one defaults on the payment plan it cancels and the full amount of the balance is billed on the account. The customer has been to our offices and was advised of the cancellation.

“She was also offered the opportunity to sign a new plan. She was also advised when she signed the last payment plan that she needed to keep up to date with payments in order to avoid the cancellation.

“The customer can contact the city to resign the payment plan,” said Mayisela.