The City of Johannesburg has witnessed instability since 2016.
No surprise that City of Joburg’s group finance director for communications and stakeholder engagement Kgamanyane Maphologela challenged claims that it illegally disconnects customers.
“Baseless” and “without merit” were the comments from the mouthpiece of the section of the municipality which is probably the worst run, being responsible for the billing nightmares of many customers.
The city didn’t cut off anyone without prior notice, he averred. How, then, do you explain a series of adverse court rulings where judicial officers found exactly that?
Another assertion – “an open query or legal matter does not absolve a customer from paying for services they are using” – was also interesting, because the courts have ruled that, while arrears are being disputed and while current accounts are being paid, customers may not be cut off.
Further, Maphologela himself acknowledged the billing chaos by saying water and electricity bills are now being done directly by Johannesburg Water and City Power, who are up to their eyebrows in work trying to sort out the mess left by the Revenue Shared Services Centre.
Bear in mind, of course, that the customers being tormented in this way are not the ones whose illegal connections have already cost the city more than R10 billion.
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