THE eThekwini council has defended its electricity department staff who refused to turn the lights on after eight days of a Durban man’s pleading.
During the dispute, Westville resident José Olivier refused to leave the offices of Durban Metro Electricity at closing time last Saturday, as he had waited eight days for the electricity supply to his rented home to be switched on.
On Friday, municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng said in a statement:
“The article (‘Power struggle prompts sit-in’) is not an accurate reflection of events. It suggests that Mr Olivier’s ordeal was entirely caused by municipal officials. The truth of the matter is that the issue involved other parties whose conduct contributed to the delay.”
Olivier, who recently moved from Ladysmith with his 84-year-old, wheelchair-bound mother, was assured by an estate agent that the electricity supply to his new home would be functional by the time he moved in, on February 25. When he found that was not the case, he visited the electricity department on eight successive days without success.
“Every day I was promised the power would be turned on, but it never happened,” he told the Tribune. “Eventually my mother was in such distress that I resorted to emergency measures and refused to leave the offices until they honoured their word.”
Mofokeng said that, unknown to Olivier, the Westville house was R14 000 in rates arrears, R1 338 of which was owed by the previous tenant.
“The agents should have known this as they also represent the owner and under no circumstances should they have assured Mr Olivier that his supply would be on when he arrived from Ladysmith.”
The spokesman claimed that the requisite documents were only produced by the agent to enable registration on March 3.
“It is policy (in terms of) arrear accounts that the council will only register the owner and not a new tenant until the property is cleared of debt,” said Mofokeng. “It is regretted that Mr Olivier had to visit the council offices personally on behalf of the owner to enforce that his meter was connected.”
Mofokeng claimed that supervisor Kay Padayachee had been “unfairly singled out and publicly humiliated by the article”.
He said she had been “sorting out the cashiers’ computers, which had some problem” and had “immediately prompted a staff member in the back office to arrange the connection and keep phoning the reconnector staff to ensure the reconnection happened”.
When reporters from the Sunday Tribune entered the public service foyer at the department, the staff fled to the back of the building.
A young woman employee was then deployed to hold up a piece of paper to block the journalists’ view into the rear office.
Attempts to speak to the supervisor were ignored, but Olivier’s problem was resolved just before the staff left at 1pm.
“Padayachee’s legal rights have been infringed by publishing her name without the facts at hand,” said the spokesman.
Prith Gohn of Wakefields Property said that issues such as Olivier’s were common. “It happens when the previous owners don’t settle their account.
“Another problem is that the landlord ends up having to pay the bill, which is wrong, because the electricity account is between the municipality and the tenant.”
A Re/Max spokesman said: “The municipality is very strict about arrears. When the owner lets the house they must make sure all their documents are in order.”
Meanwhile, another Durban resident has come forward to say that the power supply to her new rental home in Hillcrest was only switched on when she was reduced to weeping at the electricity department’s headquarters
“I went in four days straight, and I had all the documentation they had asked for.
“An arrogant young woman kept sending me away, and wouldn’t even read the paperwork.
“Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and I just collapsed in tears. Suddenly everyone was scurrying around, and my power was connected in a jiffy.” - Sunday Tribune