PAY YOUR BILLS OR FACE BEING CUT OFF

UMngeni Municipality is taking steps to claw back some of the millions of rands owed by residents, businesses and government entities.

At last week’s finance committee meeting, chairperson, Councillor Pam Passmoor, encouraged officials and fellow councillors to come up with ways to get more money into the municipality’s coffers.

In February, uMngeni recorded a R3.1 million deficit, mostly due to an increase in electricity theft.

In a statement, Mayor Chris Pappas, said the situation wasn’t sustainable and that drastic action had to be taken to ensure the financial viability of the municipality. Among the recommendations made included cutting off those who can afford to pay but deliberately bypass meters, increasing the indigent allocation from 50 to 150 units and replacing old meters with smart meters.

“In addition to high electricity theft, the municipality has R229 million owed to it in outstanding rates,” Pappas said. “This ranges from 30 days to 150 plus days.

“The municipality is encouraging residents and businesses to get their bills up to date. Property tax (rates) is mandatory in terms of the Municipal Property Rates Act, empowered by the constitution.

“The municipality has certain rights and powers to recover debt that is owed to it. These mechanisms include cutting off electricity, attaching people’s properties and blacklisting property owners in terms of credit regulations.”

The Mayor said the municipality was aware that some residents and businesses have fallen on hard times or may not be in position to pay, either partly or in full.

To help those in need, uMngeni is offering residents payment plans, indigent applications and consideration for interest holidays.

Residents and businesses can email mbo.zungu@umngeni.gov. za to find out more information.

In the meantime, work has started on creating an integrated development plan (IDP) for uMngeni.

On Monday and Tuesday the Mayor and officials met with representatives from environmental and waste management groups, commercial farmers, NGOs and NPOs, taxi associations and bus companies, tourism establishments and community tourism organisations, and community policing forums.

The Khulumanathi/Talk To Us programme allows people from across the municipality to share their thoughts on what is needed in uMngeni in terms of service delivery and development over the next five years.

The information collected during these sessions will then help to prepare the new budget, which will come into effect in June this year.