Durban - The Msunduzi Municipality has disconnected more than ten government departments including schools and police stations during its drive to collect revenue.
The municipality started embarking on a disconnection drive on Friday.
Acting city manager Nelisiwe Ngcobo led the drive which started on Friday morning.
The drive started with a team of electricity, water, revenue, meter readers and security staff.
Ngcobo said they were on a disconnection drive after they realised the municipality was owed about R5.5 billion.
These are some of the departments the municipality has disconnected since Friday:
- The municipality has disconnected its services to Dunveria Secondary School for owing more than R1.6m.
- Raisethorpe Secondary School was disconnected for owing the municipality over R2m.
- Plessislaer police station owes the municipality more than R3m and was disconnected.
- The Department of Home Affairs was disconnected on Friday and the 11KV switchgear supplying the building was locked. On Monday the department was found illegally connected, therefore the municipality removed the cable supplying electricity to the transformer.
- A students’ accommodation on Alexander Road owes the municipality over R300 000. It was disconnected on Friday and was illegally connected by Monday. A tamper fee will be charged for water and electricity. Water actual tamper fee - R8 058.59. Electricity actual tamper fee - R4 0298.83 x3.
- A warehouse owing more than R1m was disconnected.
- A land trust owing more than R8m was disconnected.
- A government institution was disconnected for owing more than R13m.
- A firm in Mkondeni, owing over R1.3m for rates, was disconnected.
- A warehouse owing over R200 000 was disconnected.
- Illegal connections were removed and a warehouse was disconnected on Berg Street for owing more than R1.3m.
- A government department owes more than R600 000 for rates, and an illegal connection on electricity was disconnected. The department also infringes the municipality by-laws of having access to the meter.
- Another government department owing water and electricity was disconnected.
The municipality also issued notices of intention to disconnect. Such notice was issued to a business which owes the municipality rates.
The municipality said that in order to be able to provide basic services to all consumers they urged all consumers and businesses to play their part.
However, the municipality’s drive has been condemned by the DA in KZN.
DA Education spokesperson Dr Imran Keeka said: “The DA in KZN condemns the mess created by the breakdown in the intergovernmental relations between various departments which is not only affecting learning and teaching but healthcare as well.
“How is it that the Msunduzi Municipality has disconnected facilities without prior warning and where the delays in invoicing could potentially have been their fault? Why should the learners in the municipality be victims of people who cannot do their jobs? We call upon those entities involved to get their act in order to put citizens first. What are the respective MECs doing? Are they on the kip?”
KZN Department of Public Works (DPW) acting head of department Siboniso Majola sent a letter to Ngcobo on the disconnection of electricity at various provincial facilities within the municipality.
In the letter Majola said that it had come to the attention of the department that the municipality is disconnecting electricity at various provincial facilities due to non-payment of property rates, this includes Fort Napier Hospital and Raisethorpe Secondary School.
“The DPW wishes to place on record that the invoices for the current financial year from Msunduzi Municipality were received on August 15, 2022, and are currently being processed. It is also recorded that where there are arrear rates due, and these are also being processed,” the letter read.
“The DPW hereby makes an undertaking that the due payments will be paid to the municipality on or before September 30, 2022.”
The letter also read that the municipality is requested to reconnect the electricity at the various provincial facilities as this has a negative effect on the service delivery to the people of KZN, including the learning environment for school children.
Ngcobo said: “We are trying to recover as much as possible. Our priority at this point in time are those consumers who are owing us rates.
“We cannot have a challenge in terms of cash flow when we have people who owe us rates for an amount of about R1.2 billion.
“We want to recover as much as possible. This is just a start and it is going to run for the entire month of September until we realise our revenue,” Ngcobo added.
Daily News