Chief financial officer of the City of Joburg, Tebogo Moraka, has announced that the metro will now start targeting motorists with outstanding debt at roadblocks to recoup some of the R48 billion in unpaid accounts owed to the city.
If a motorist with an outstanding municipal bill is pulled over by a Joburg Metro Police (JMPD) officer, their details will now be scanned for any outstanding dues including on water, electricity, and property taxes.
Importantly, only citizens who have been issued with pre-term notices but failed to pay their bills or enter into an Acknowledgement of Debt (AOD) agreement will be targeted. They will then have the choice of entering into an AOD and structuring a payment plan going forward, and they will receive a copy of their outstanding bills.
“As part of our credit control processes, we try to always enhance our revenue collection and debt collection measures,” said Moraka in an interview with eNCA.
“The idea with the roadblock situation is not for JMPD to arrest motorists, I think we should allay those fears. The finance team will be joining JMPD at certain roadblocks not to arrest residents, but to bring the service to the residents.”
This is to avoid the City having to expend additional resources to implement level one, two, or three disconnections at the residences of these citizens, which are defined as:
- Level one — The City switches off the switch box for electricity or water, depending on what you owe.
- Level two — The City physically removes the metre.
- Level three — The City removes water and electricity infrastructure from the residence or property.
If there are any issues with their accounts, residents will also be able to communicate these to the revenue officers at roadblocks who will be able to explain the discrepancies or get to the bottom of them.
Illegal connections under the magnifying glass
Apart from identifying non-paying residents, the City is also increasing the capacity of the bylaw enforcement unit within the JMPD specifically focusing on illegal connections to the grid, not only in informal settlements but also in more affluent locations, which has been a big source of built-up debt, reported MyBroadband.
Moraka said businesses in upmarket areas have been caught illegally connecting to the grid even after the City has switched off their metres, with the authorities recently running another operation to stop the lawbreakers.
“It’s a culture of lawlessness that we need to curb now, before it gets out of our hands,” he said.
Keyword: Joburg residents with outstanding debts to be sniffed out at roadblocks