Schools owe over R80m in council bills
Mayor says lights, water won’t be cut
Durban school principals have been hauled before the eThekwini municipality to explain why they are not paying their utility bills – just days after it emerged that the city is owed more than R3-billion for water by consumers.
The meeting on Friday was called by mayor Zandile Gumede, who could not attend and sent a representative.
A report by the luditor-general presented at a full council meeting last week revealed that the city was owed R3.31billion for water, but that the recoverability of this debt was doubtful.
The report said material water losses of 108.8- million kilolitres resulted in revenue losses of R645.90-million, as a result of illegal connections and deteriorating infrastructure.
Gumede told the council that Section 21 schools – schools that manage their own finances – that had outstanding utility bills would not automatically be disconnected.
This was after it was revealed they owe the city more than R80-million.
The city’s mid-year budget and performance assessment report for the six months ending December 31 tabled on Wednesday had recommended that disconnection notices be sent to the affected schools and that they be disconnected.
However‚ a decision was later taken to send the notices but suspend any disconnections.
“There is no way the municipality is saying schools will be disconnected. I reiterate … that while we won’t stand in the way of officials doing their work they must send notices …
“Those schools who receive disconnection notices are welcome to come to the municipality to make payment arrangements. You have to pay for services rendered‚ it is very important‚” Gumede said.
She said she would not allow schools in poor communities to have their electricity disconnected.
But DA councillor Pete Graham said many examples given why schools were in arrears “can be laid squarely at the door of city officials for a variety of reasons”.
“What the DA is upset about is that the city is taking on soft targets‚ including the average person in the street, when the main arrears are by provincial and national government bodies. These institutions owe the city tens of millions of rand yet their lights never get cut off.”
However, Corovoca Primary School in Newlands East had its power cut last week‚ disrupting the teaching of 907 pupils. The electricity was only restored on Friday after the principal had reached a payment arrangement with the city.
Graham said the principal‚ who declined to comment‚ was upset because he had been paying the school’s utility bill.
“What happened is that the water bill was R8 000 a month and all of a sudden it jumped to R25 000 a month although they were never using the water and he was disputing this the whole time.”
Graham said when he went to the school on Friday‚ he discovered that the water meter was broken and has not worked for over a year. “Then you wonder where did these numbers come from‚” he said.