City dept is a brazen cabal

KOERT Meyer, Henry Hendricks and many others express their unhappiness with the accounts department of the City.

Should they want to spend one hour at any pay office, they will realise that the problem is universal. Every person receiving an account from the City is at the receiving end of a seemingly brazen cabal of employees hell-bent on squeezing the last (excuse the pun) drop out of the citizenry. The main problems seem to be: 1. Estimated readings always done way above the actual.

2. Eventual arrears and the astronomical interest on these.

3. Interest never gets refunded when accounts get corrected.

4. VAT on high-estimated readings never gets refunded.

5. Interest calculated at exorbitant rates – I have seen an account with arrears calculated at 55% pa. Why do we have this situation? My theory: 1. The City is bleeding funds with the MyCiti buses – a subsidy of R500 million per annum.

2. 95% of the buses have fewer than five passengers. Most are empty. This is obvious to any person.

3. The City goes to the banks for loans, but must project a “healthy” accounts payable figure, every month.

4. The staff in the accounts department receive a bonus or commission on amounts billed every month – “mistakes” or estimates are always up, never down.

5. The slipping in of unknown, low charges (Meyer) to escape detection by most.

This scenario is of course bordering on the criminal, if not prima facie criminal, but it makes a lot more sense than Xanthea Limberg’s Zumaesque explanations.

We need a class action by some brave citizens, before this lot is voted out, or at least get the public protector’s attention. Where are the pro bono legal activists?