DURBAN - Incorrect water and electricity billing continues to anger ratepayers despite the city’s effort, and assurance it would resolve the matter.
Among affected people are a single mother of three who claims to have had to sell her house to cover her arrears of more than R130000. A manager of a Verulam cane farming estate, Romyn Pillay, has also complained to the Sunday Tribune City Watch about an unresolved dispute over a R306129 water bill, and another for R2477305.12.
“Does anyone check the bills going out?” asked Pillay. “How does Ethekwini allow a bill of this nature to run up to these amounts and then bill the customer? Lack of efficiency on behalf of the department does not mean the farmer or consumer has to suffer. In order for a bill of this amount (larger bill) to be settled, one will have to end up selling the property.”
As far back as 2015, revenue management has been flooded with complaints about inflated or exorbitant bills. Last year, eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede instructed the city manager, Sipho Nzuza, to investigate the issue of over-billing. Nzuza has since assured residents the city’s new billing system is running smoothly, with no complaints received.
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But Pillay is convinced something is seriously amiss with the city’s billing system.
Pillay copied City Watch in on e-mail correspondence sent this week to the mayor’s office and senior eThekwini officials in respect of an account he said he had terminated in May 2012.
“Proof of termination was received as per attachment leaving us with a credit balance of R7103.32,” wrote Pillay. “We were advised to leave the account in credit and if/when we had a new property which needed a new account to be opened, the credit will be transferred across.
“No water bills were received from May 2012, until a bill ‘mysteriously’ arrived in November 2017 - almost five years later.”
The bill was for an amount of R306129.64. “I went into the local municipal offices situated in Verulam and no direct answer could be given to me for the bill. I was told we used the water so we had to pay. So I asked what happened to the billing for the last five years.”
Pillay also queried another bill for R2477305.12, addressed to Zwolle Estate Pty Ltd. “This makes no sense at all.... This is the first time we have received a bill under this name.”
A Chatsworth resident, Yugen Moodley, claims his mother has been over-billed. “The water bill for this month is R1441.82 and it normally averages about R200/R300pm.
“What I fail to understand is that every month a water meter reader guy comes to my mum’s residence and captures the information, but the statement reflects ‘estimated water reading (2017/08/22 to 2018/01/21)’.”
Moodley questioned whether bills had been manipulated, and believes fraud could be taking place within the revenue billing system. He said he had not received any response to complaints.
Ethekwini municipality did not comment by the time of publication.