Rustenburg - The Rustenburg municipality in North West province has recovered over R90 million owed for services rendered, it said on Wednesday.
"For the month of November and December to date, the municipality has been able to recover over R90 million in money for services rendered and not paid for. It is critical for residents and businesses to bear in mind that without revenue collected from services rendered, the municipality’s optimal functionality as well as its financial obligations may be compromised," said spokesman David Magae.
He said the municipality rolled out the revenue collection campaign at the beginning of November and was also well on course to ensure that it rooted out any illegal connections to electricity and water supply sources. The municipality has also begun the process of disconnecting customers who have defaulted on payments.
"Rustenburg local municipality is one of the municipalities that generates over 89% of its own revenue, while relying on national government grants [for just] over 10%.
"As a result, the financial viability of the municipality among other key imperatives is ensuring that revenue from services that have been rendered is collected to avoid financial bankruptcy, which will affect other operational obligations the municipality has with their service providers, such as electricity supplier Eskom and the various water boards from which the municipality purchases bulk water," he said.
The municipality urged residents and businesses to ensure that accounts were paid and up-to-date and if there were disputes, to ensure current accounts were fully paid while billing enquiries ran their course.