uMgungundlovu billing crisis: DA calls for residents’ support in ending illegal Revenue Enhancement Programme

Issued by Chris Pappas, MPL – DA KZN Spokesperson on CoGTA
03 Aug 2021 in Press Statements

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is calling on uMgungundlovu District residents who are the victims of an allegedly illegal municipal Revenue Enhancement Programme (REP) to submit their testimonials in a bid to stop ongoing discrimination.

The move comes after the DA engaged with lawyers regarding the ongoing billing crisis within this municipality.

The DA believes that the REP does not meet the requirements of the Municipal Systems Act, particularly in terms of Section 95 and that it would not stand up to a legal challenge.

Worryingly, when we raised the issue of unlawfulness with KZN’s Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Department, it skirted around our questions and threw the ball back into the municipality’s court – effectively making the municipality the judge, jury and executioner.

It is widely known that the billing system in uMgungundlovu is in a shambles. Incorrect bills, unfair disconnections, infrequent billing and a failure to read meters are only some of the challenges faced by residents.

In addition to this, the customer service offered by the municipality leaves more questions unanswered than solutions provided. This has been made worse by the closure of a number of local service centres which forces residents to travel long distances to seek assistance.

The DA urges affected residents to submit testimonials to support our assertion that the REP is not compliant with the law. Residents can submit their inputs to: https://bit.ly/IllegalDisconnections

The people of our province can no longer stand by as dysfunctional municipalities bully them into paying more while service delivery declines and corruption increases.

The residents of KZN stood together against the ANC-driven riots and we will stand together against the collapse of our communities. The DA has proven that where we are in government, we get things done.