The Tshwane Ya Tima revenue-collection programme is back in full swing. This has become a daily priority for the City and all non-paying consumers are being targeted – be it businesses, government departments and institutions or residential properties.
The City has capacitated the Tshwane Ya Tima revenue-collection programme with more teams to increase the number of daily disconnections. According to Cllr Jacqui Uys, MMC for Finance, the City is already seeing the impact of the programme on the daily cash collections. The current rate of collections will see the City collecting R500 million of the R1 billion monthly stretched target as per the financial rescue plan, bringing cash collections for March 2024 to about R3,5 billion.
Following the relaunch of the disconnection drive, the City has received calls from residents to focus on specific areas which they assume have a high rate of defaulting clients. Cllr Uys indicated that the R23,3 billion debtors’ book is not made up by specific communities but consists of business, government and residential accounts all over Tshwane.
A list of the highest owing wards in Tshwane:
- Ward 42, including Waterkloof and Monumentpark, owes R756,7 million with a payment rate of 53,68%
- Ward 101, including Silver Lakes and Boschkop, owes R726,5 million with a payment rate of 40,23%
- Ward 84, including Queenswood and Kilner Park, owes R485,3 million with a payment rate of 29,69%
- Ward 17, including Mamelodi West, owes R485,6 million with a payment rate of 29,69%
- Ward 21, including Mabopane, owes R449,5 million with a payment rate of 12,9%
It needs to be mentioned that Ward 69, including Centurion, has the highest payment rate at 69,73%.
The Tshwane Ya Tima teams encounter many illegal connections from defaulting clients who run up high service bills and fail to pay the City. In the last week, two businesses in Pretoria were found to have tampered with their meters and owe the City a combined R6,3 million. Meters that were cut will be continuously monitored after disconnection operations to ensure that those who illegally reconnect face the music.
The City is also embarking on a process to open criminal cases for both theft and tampering against owners of property with illegal connections. A forensic audit is also underway internally on the possible involvement of employees with illegal reconnections.
We urge all residents with information to come forward so that we can put an end to this corruption and looting that got the City to where it is.
Residents are reminded that fines for illegal connections and electricity theft is R27 600 for individual and household accounts, and R688 000 for business accounts. In addition to these fines, the City will also lay criminal charges and pursue recovery of lost income.
The Executive Mayor, Cllr Cilliers Brink, says the culture of non-payment must stop and that residents need to pay for services consumed. The City needs revenue to deliver services and honour its commitments to Eskom and Rand Water.
Illegal connections are a criminal offence and the City will use Section 300 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977 (Act 51 of 1977) to go after offenders and claim compensation.