Limpopo - Residents of Mankweng in Limpopo staged protest and forced shops to close on Monday amid demands that the local Polokwane municipality reverse a council motion to cut water.
It is estimated that residents owe the municipality a combined R2 million in water arrears, leading to the council recently issuing letters threatening disconnection unless arrears were settled.
Shoppers from surrounding villages were shocked when they arrived at Mankweng Plaza on Monday to find shops closed.
Some are receiving threatening letter that their house maybe repossessed if they don’t pay.
Shoppers from surrounding villages were shocked when they arrived at Mankweng Plaza on Monday to find shops closed.
Hundreds of residents took to the streets to march to the municipality’s satellite office in Mankweng, about 30 kilometres outside of Polokwane, in protest at the water bill issue.
When they arrived at the office, the doors were locked and there was no one to accept their demands.
Protestors were complaining that their water bill was exorbitant and said they did not understand how council reached the amounts they charged for water.
On November 30, the council sent letters to residents warning that if they did not settle their outstanding debts they would be disconnected.
“Failure to settle your account within 14 days will result in the municipality disconnecting the support of water/electricity to your property,” the letter stated.
Community leader Jerry Hine said residents were not going to pay the bills as the account did not reflect their actual consumption.
“We are here to return the bill and statement back to the council, we will sit here until the management come and receive their bills,” he said.
“There is no negotiations, we don’t want assessment rates, because we don’t know what it is.”
Elizabeth Malungane said she was not complaining about the outstanding bills but said her concern was that the balance on her account did not change despite her making payment every month.
“I am paying every month R500, and when I check my debts was at R11,000. I have made several payment but my balance keeps on going up,” said Malungane.
Malungane, like hundreds of other residents, have vowed not to pay their municipal bills until the municipality had clarified matters.
Municipality spokesman Tidimallo Chuene said the municipality would be meeting with community leaders to hear their grievances.
African News Agency
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