Council investigates water bill problems experienced by two readers

OW can ordinary South Africans get involved? During Anti-Racism Week, citizens from all walks of life were invited to pledge against racism and declare that “Racism Stops With Me”.

The campaign urges those who take the pledge to remove all prejudice from their hearts and minds, to respect the dignity of every individual regardless of race, to speak up in situations of prejudice, racism and exploitation and to stand in solidarity with victims of hatred and violence.

We urge those who commit to the pledge to join the dialogue on racial equality with patience, understanding and respect. WITH reference to the letters, “Patronising utility bill query shows lack of professional standards” and “My ‘actual’ water bill went from 2kl to 50kl a month” (March 15).

With regard to the first letter: the city council has been unable to extract the relevant account details for an explanation here.

However, we have asked our accounts department to find the original query in order to make further contact with Thomas Johnson and resolve his request.

With regard to David Kilkenny’s enquiry: we have looked at his account and established that he misinterpreted the figures therein.

Due to non-access, consumption at the property was estimated at 27kl (based on historical trends) during December.

The next actual reading, taken in January, showed that 29kl was consumed over the previous two-month period. A total of 2kl is therefore the net difference between the estimation and the actual reading, not the actual consumption for the month.

Customers must also be aware that readings are taken from a calibrated meter.

Subsequent control readings reflect that the readings are accurate and not outside a 10kl range as alleged.

If Kilkenny would still like to have the meter tested, he can apply for a meter test at his nearest municipal office.

We would also like to assure customers that the billing protocols ensure that longer billing periods do not penalise them in terms of the higher usage categories. Water use between readings is reduced to a daily average and then allocated into the stepped tariff for the period of consumption.

If residents receive a much higher than normal account, they should determine whether it is as a result of previous estimates, which may have been too low, or a leak in the plumbing at the property. Additionally, if residents are unable to pay their account, we encourage them to visit their nearest municipal office to work out a payment plan.

Adherence to this plan will result in the suspension of debt management action.