Durban - The revenue collection team of the Msunduzi Municipality has collected over R40 million since it embarked on its aggressive campaign to disconnect buildings that have not paid their rates and services accounts.
“Revenue Collection Team has assembled outside City Hall on this bright and sunny day ready to #QoqamaMillion. The team has collected over R40 million since last Friday,” said the statement on the municipality’s Facebook page on Thursday.
It was not immediately clear whether the amount is the rand value that has been paid in cash as a result of the disconnections.
The news drew mixed reactions from the city’s residents.
One said, “Actually collected R40 million or just disconnected those businesses? How would they have come up with their huge amounts if they hadn’t been able to pay it all these years.”
Another resident said: “Not bad for just doing what you are supposed to do, your job! This just underlines how useless you guys are and how much better it can go if everybody just does what they are supposed to do!”
However one resident congratulated the municipality.
“Well done on initiative. You can't please everyone.”
Since Friday the municipality has been on a drive to collect what is due to it and has disconnected businesses, government departments and schools, in an effort to recoup more than R5 billion.
Ratepayers owe about R1.2bn in rates, and the municipality said it was important for businesses and homes to pay their rates. It plans to collect about R200 million of this money in the coming weeks.