Durban woman’s R4.7 million utility bill shock

Kasturee Lachman, 67, who lives alone in her Sparks Road home, said she could not understand why the municipality always messed up her utility bills. PICTURE: BONGANI MBATHA

Kasturee Lachman, 67, who lives alone in her Sparks Road home, said she could not understand why the municipality always messed up her utility bills. PICTURE: BONGANI MBATHA

Published Oct 9, 2016

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A Durban pensioner was stunned when she received a R4.7 million electricity bill from eThekwini Municipality last month.

Kasturee Lachman, 67, who lives alone in her Sparks Road home, said she could not understand why the municipality always messed up her utility bills.

Her woes appear to be the result of the city’s new multi-million rand Revenue Management System (RMS). The city has in the past denied the system is a problem but it emerged this week on its Facebook page that, “it understood how frustrating the billing system has been on its residents”.

Frustrated residents expressed their dissatisfaction, saying it had caused chaos and financial strain.

Lachman lives in a four bedroom home and said her electricity usage was minimal. Baffled by her exorbitant electricity bill, she went to the municipality’s offices on several occasions for help, but got no joy.

She also received a R229 000 August rates bill despite her payments being up to date.

Her biggest fear, like many others, is that her electricity will be cut off should the problem not be solved, as it has been several times recently, thanks to a billing problem.

“I did not receive my bill for August. When I made enquiries, my bill was sent to me a month later, in September. When I received both my bills - I thought it was a joke. I could not read the number accurately.”

All Latchman wants is for the problem to be resolved.

“I am an elderly woman and I can no longer run around in circles. It is stressful and time-consuming to have to run back and forth all the time. I made several attempts to get help from the former mayor and other members of Exco but nobody has solved my problem. I even went to the KZN legislature hoping to meet the premier but I didn’t get any help. What can I do?”

This is not the first run-in Lachman has had with the city.

The widow, whose husband died 20 years ago, said that she was also in a legal battle with the municipality for another billing issue linked to her husband’s estate.

“For the past 20 years, I have been receiving incorrect bills and I am being charged exorbitant rates for my husband’s estate. He owned a property in Botha’s Hill which has been taken over by squatters. In 2010, an individual unknown to me, applied to have the water connected. I have been billed hundreds and thousands of rand for this illegal connection.”

The city said it “does not discuss residents or customers account details with a third party”. It said if customers were not satisfied with the billing service, they should contact the revenue call centre at 031 324 5000.

Sunday Tribune

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