Reuters
Stock picture: Twenty-eight councillors owe their city more than R264 000 in unpaid water, electricity and rates debts as of June.
Durban – Twenty-eight eThekwini municipality councillors owed the city more than R264 000 in unpaid water, electricity and rates debts as of June.
Earlier this month the municipality told The Mercury that hard-pressed Durban ratepayers owed it R1.9 billion in unpaid rates.
On Thursday municipal spokesman Thabo Mofokeng warned that the municipality would disconnect water and electricity supply from anyone who failed to pay their bills, including councillors.
“There is only one credit control policy and it applies to everyone,” he said.
The councillor with the largest outstanding bill is Conrad Dlamini, of the ANC, with a debt of R84 750. Yesterday Dlamini said he had gone to the municipality two weeks ago to enquire about his debt and had been given a printout that showed that he owed a little over R42 000.
“The property the city is referring to was not my property alone but it was a close corporation and my partner has since died,” he said.
“Last month I made ar-rangements with the city to pay the outstanding amount, and they deduct R4 000 every month from my account.”
Dlamini said he would ask about the amount of R84 750, adding that the city needed to make it clear that he had made arrangements to pay his debt.
Another councillor, identified as J Naidoo, owed the city R46 088 as of March. Both ACDP councillor Jonathan Naidoo and IFP councillor Jane Naidoo denied that they were in arrears.
Jonathan Naidoo said his bill of about R900 a month was up to date and paid through debit order.
Jane Naidoo said: “I don’t owe the municipality any money. I don’t have property registered in my name.”
ANC councillor Themba Ncane owed R40 411 and ANC councillor Thembi Nzuza’s debt was R23 249.
The Mercury was unable to reach Nzuza and Ncane.
Mofokeng would not say why the councillors’ unpaid debt had been allowed to reach R264 405.
“We do not have information at hand,” he said.
“Some of the debt could be historical and we would have to go through our records to check how the debt was allowed to increase so much.”
Municipal treasury head Krish Kumar said Durban’s revenue had increased by almost R3bn compared to the previous year mainly because of the increase in property rates, service charges, grants and other income.
He said the city’s total revenue had increased from R19.9bn last year to R22.7bn this year. Income generated from property rates had increased by about R280 million.
Other sources of revenue included an additional R1.5bn in service charges (water and electricity), R800m in grants and subsidies, and R385m in other income, which included tariff increases. – The Mercury
