JOHANNESBURG RESIDENTS DESERVE A PROPER FUNCTIONAL BILLING SYSTEM - DA

The presentation of the new Revenue Department Road Map comes at a time when many residents are suffering from widespread disconnections because they are marked as delinquent payers, instead of the proper attention being paid to their incorrect bills, DA Finance Spokesperson Cllr Patrick Atkinson said.

'We are deeply concerned about the unnecessary stress caused to many of the City's residents by the Municipality. It would appear that in many instances residents have services disconnected without the requisite 14 day notice period. This is simply illegal,' continued Atkinson.

While the City's Management have to date claimed that a two week notice period is NOT mandatory as the City's Rates policy does not make provision for it, the CoJ website advises residents to act within the two weeks' grace after receiving such a notice to avoid disconnections.  The illegality of the City's actions of disconnecting services without prior notice is stated in a 2008 Appeal Court ruling that found that by not giving adequate notice the City was not in compliance with the requirements of procedural fairness as set out in part 3(2)(b) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3, 2000.

Not only are residents disconnected without due process, but without a functional query resolution process in the City, many then find it difficult to get reconnected.

‘It is most unfortunate that very little is said about the highly inflated bills that many City customers have to fight on an ongoing basis in the road map. Instead, the road map constantly refers to ‘arrangements to pay arrears,' Atkinson added.

‘City Residents have grown very tired of the continual problems they face with defective Bills. This has been a particular ongoing problem which has worsened significantly over the last 18 months, says Cllr Atkinson. ‘The DA shall be holding the ANC administration to account for its road map to improve billing and we shall be measuring its success on a regular basis. It is time for Johannesburg residents to have a properly functional billing system such as the one delivered to Cape Town residents by their DA governed City. The DA in Johannesburg and the residents of the City of Johannesburg demand nothing less.'

Statement issued by Councillor Patrick Atkinson DA Shadow Mayoral Committee Member: Finance, Johannesburg, November 24 2011

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter