eThekwini Mayor urges councillors to help tackle billing issues
Xaba says they are also on a campaign to educate residents on how to lodge disputes.
Ethekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba has called upon councillors to assist in resolving billing challenges plaguing the city. During a full council meeting, councillors criticized the municipality for not addressing ongoing billing issues. Xaba advised residents to utilize the city's dispute resolution system to address inaccuracies on their bills.
The mayor is also working towards educating citizens on how to lodge disputes effectively. "All we need is for councillors not to complain, but to go all out and publicise these initiatives to the public because we have put them out as part of assisting and alleviating the challenges or the burden that they face," he stated.
Despite Xaba's efforts, eThekwini Municipality continues to face significant criticism due to billing problems. The municipality's billing report for July, presented during a full council meeting in Durban, revealed that 99% of the 929,000 account holders received bills. However, political parties expressed concerns that many electricity and water meters remain unread.
Ninety-four percent of water meters were read in urban areas, while only 82% were read in rural areas. Over 27,000 faulty meters have also been reported. Several councillors from the IFP, DA, and ActionSA have expressed concern over residents being forced to pay for services they may not have used due to administrative errors.
Written by urgent.news from SABC News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
