News
Primrose Resident in Darkness Over Nearly R200k Debt to City
Michael Standing, a Primrose resident, has endured a week without electricity due to unpaid bills, leading to the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) disconnection. Despite believing he had indigent status approved by the CoE, he was informed that he needed to restart the application process. The issue originated when he visited CoE offices three years ago to renew his indigent status, but they lost his information, requiring him to reapply. Meanwhile, he received a disconnection notice before his application was approved.
Also Read: Annual Fundraiser Nets Little Eden R192,000
Standing’s debt to the CoE stands at R185,416, although he received no clear answers regarding the sum. He fears this delay could lead to his tenants leaving. To restore power, the CoE requested a payment of R2,000, which Standing, currently unemployed, struggles to afford.
CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini stated that Standing owes the city R194,745, requiring a payment of R38,949.07 to reconnect. The CoE disconnected his power due to account arrears. Standing initially applied for indigent status but did not disclose having a tenant on the property, leading to the rejection of his application. After reapplying and failing to provide the necessary tenant documents, he was asked to reapply again with all the required documents.
In a separate incident, six businesses in Wadeville experienced power disconnection by MMC for Finance Nkululeko Dunga as part of the “Siyacima Manje-Namhlanje” campaign to recover over R24 billion owed to the municipality. Despite proving that they were not in arrears, these businesses were disconnected. CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini sent inquiries about the disconnections to Dunga’s office but has not yet responded.
Source: Primrose resident left in the dark for owing almost R200k to the City of Ekurhuleni
Also Read:
Follow us on Google News
Photo: Supplied by Germiston City News
