Paper helps Joburger get back R200k

INLSA

Mr Kishor Daya who runs his business from the City Deep Produce Market accidently paid the City of Johannesburg rates and taxes department R200 000(Two hundred thousand Rand). Picture: Antoine de Ras

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Johannesburg - It was a huge sigh of relief for Lenasia resident Kishor Daya when he finally received a refund of the R200 000 he inadvertently paid into his daughter’s City of Joburg rates account.

A slip of the finger in November resulted in Daya paying this money into his daughter’s rates account instead of a creditor’s.

Daya was making an internet payment when he pushed the wrong key on his computer.

After endless attempts to get the money back from the council, he thought he had lost it for ever.

He said council officials had made it difficult to get the money back.

They asked for affidavits and proof of payment, which he produced. Then they wanted written permission from his daughter for them to take the money out of her rates account. This, too, was produced.

“It was very frustrating. In the four months since I made the mistake, I visited the people’s centres in Lenasia and Braamfontein several times, wrote many e-mails and faxes, and they kept on promising to refund me, but nothing ever happened.

“It put me into great financial difficulty as I have been operating on an expensive overdraft all these months. It is a large amount of money,” he said.

After The Star intervened last week, however, the matter was expedited and he got the money back yesterday.

“I want to say thanks a million that all of it has been returned. I am very grateful, I was losing hope of ever getting it back,” he said.

City of Joburg revenue department spokesman Stan Maphologela said at the time that when large payments were made in error, the council had to carefully examine all the documents and proof of payment to ensure it was a legitimate mistake, as the council’s banking accounts could be used by criminals for fraud.

The Star