Durban - A councillor in the Msunduzi Municipality is under fire following a message he allegedly circulated calling on residents not to allow City workers on to their properties to read meters.
In a statement, the City said the alleged actions of this councillor had been reported to the Speakers office.
In the alleged message, the councillor tells community members not to allow City workers to read meters because he and the community have not been briefed on this.
The message goes on to say that should the City workers insist on reading the metes, the community should “grab them tight and teach them respect”.
In a statement, the municipality said, “The Municipal Manager Lulamile Mapholoba has learnt with shock about a message circulating via social media platforms where a ward councillor seems to be encouraging residents to refuse municipal employees entry to their properties for meter reading purposes.
“The message which could have been interpreted as inciting violence against municipal employees is strongly condemned. The matter has been reported to the Speaker for her intervention and she will be dealing with it accordingly,” said the statement.
The municipality said it is currently clamping down on water and electricity theft. There are programmes in place which include meter audits, replacement of meters and as part of revenue enhancement the municipality is working on improving the accuracy of billing, this includes the monthly reading of meters to ensure that customers are billed for their current consumption.
“Councillors are expected to enable and support municipal employees to do their work in the communities as employees are there on council business,” it said, warning that refusing access will result in customers being billed on estimates instead of actual readings which will lead to under or over billing of customers.
“Failure to grant access will also result in disconnection of services. Employees will be carrying identification cards in order to ensure their safety and the safety of the residents.
“The aim of the municipality is to ensure accurate accounts for all customers, improve the billing and ultimately enhance revenue in order to be able to deliver services to the communities,” it said.
ACDP councillor Rienus Niemand said they condemn “this criminal behaviour. It will not be tolerated”.
“This is an incitement to commit crime. The councillor must be charged criminally, jailed and dismissed as a councillor.
“The fact of the matter is that the governing party is the cause of this criminal behaviour. In all the wards where they have a majority the theft from prepaid electricity and water is endemic, in some wards up to 100% with no action taken.”
The ACDP councillor added, “Government departments have not paid their accounts for 30 months. In areas that do not vote for the governing party consumers are immediately disconnected.
“This kind of corruption is what has brought our city, our province and indeed our country onto its knees financially. It must be ruthlessly eradicated at all costs.”