Durban – A Chatsworth pensioner is seething after receiving a municipal utility bill of more than R500 000. He has no clue how he is expected to pay this amount by Saturday.
Bill Govender, of Silverglen, said his January statement, which he received on Tuesday, reflected a total of R531 770 owing to the eThekwini Municipality.
His usual monthly utility bill averaged R1500, but it had escalated to R11 000 in recent months.
The eThekwini Municipality says that after initial glitches, the new revenue billing system is now working properly.
Govender showed the the Daily News a recent statement, which reflected a balance of R11 000 brought forward.
He said he paid R4100 and was left with a R7200 balance. His most recent bill, however, reflected that he was in arrears and showed a six-digit total. The statement warned that his electricity and water would be cut off or restricted after 14 days, should he not make payment.
Govender forms part of a growing list of disgruntled eThekwini residents who have been slapped with enormous bills after the city switched over to a new revenue management system.
Tony Govender, councillor for eThekwini ward 70, which includes Silverglen, met the panic-stricken Govender this week.
“This is a staggering amount. He maintains that although the bulk of the costs on his account reflects his use of water, he is startled because there are no leaks on his property and it is only he and his wife who live on the property,” said the ward councillor.
The Seatides Neighbourhood Watch, in oThongathi – another area hit by a series of astronomically high bills – has planned to hold public billing presentations with the municipality in an effort to get some clarification on the matter.
Last week, a public meeting was held in Phoenix to address inaccuracies in the utility accounts of local residents, but it was abandoned after residents began hurling insults at municipal official Khanyi Gama.
In October, Durban pensioner Kasturee Lachman, 67, told the Daily News about her R4.7million bill. She lives alone.
In response to Govender’s situation, city spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa said the relevant unit would liaise directly with him.
She said each case was assessed on its merits and the city did not discuss customer accounts with a third party.
Mthethwa could not explain what glitches the system had or how the municipality was trying to resolve the problem.
However, city treasurer Krish Kumar said the city had no intention of charging customers extra because it was not logical and against customer service policies.
“When we began with the new system, the balances were migrated. We ran estimated charges based on winter months. The first readings were in August and September (2016). All problems were rectified,” he said.
Kumar said intervention plans were made with credible customer queries.
“These included meter configurations. We found some meters were old and needed adjusting. Customers’ billing was stabilising. Our system is fully audited and is working properly.”
Kumar said the media and public or politicians were sensationalising the problem.
He said out of a million bills per month, possibly a hundred of them were problematic.
“We are not unfair to the customer. The moment we began disconnections, people were coming forward with problems,” he said.
Speaking about the department’s transparent approach to the matter, Kumar said their intention was to meet communities wherever they were called out.
He was unhappy with the outcome of the public meeting in Phoenix last week.
“We came to address valid issues, but it ended in chaos before we could do so. We wanted to collect a list of problematic bills and conduct immediate investigations. The last thing we want is sensationalism and the creation of unnecessary concerns and crises.”
Kumar urged residents who were experiencing utility billing problems to contact the department immediately, rather than approaching the media and people not concerned with the issue.
“We have extended the hours for our query centres. No customers are turned away.
“We have an open-door policy,” Kumar said.