Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
The residents in Kranshoek and Kwanokuthula, Bitou Municipality, are receiving extremely high water accounts from the Municipality. In Kranshoek water services are being disconnected and in Kwanokuthula access to electricity is being blocked due to water accounts in arrears. Municipal accounts that have been presented show that residents are being charged the same amount every month: R829,42 in Kranshoek and R1 254,44 in Kwanokuthula:
- Why is the Municipality charging an estimated or guessed amount every month, (b) how does the Municipality guess or estimate the amount of R829,42 in Kranshoek and R1 254,44 in Kwanokuthula, (c) why are the estimates different, (d) what is the equivalent water consumption for those amounts, (e) how often does the Municipality take an actual reading in each community, (f) how does the Municipality demand the payment of so-called “arrears” accounts when the actual consumption of each household has not been determined and the amount due is a guess, (g) what is the current total arrears amounts of all the households in (i) Kwanokuthula and (ii) Kranshoek, (h) how often, if ever, are household accounts adjusted for actual water consumption readings, (i) what is the Municipality’s indigent relief or assistance policy with regard to services such as water and electricity, (j) how many applications for indigent assistance (i) have been received by the Municipality and (ii) have not been finalised or approved, (k) why is the Municipality denying residents of Kranshoek access to water by disconnecting water services when the accounts are based on estimates, (l) why is the Municipality collecting water payments from pre-paid electricity purchases from residents in Kwanokuthula, (m) why is the Municipality denying residents their constitutional right to access to water and (n) when will the Mayor of Bitou or the Municipal Manager of Bitou meet with the residents of both communities to resolve these water bill matters?
(a) Meters are read monthly and not estimated as alleged. Estimates are performed in exceptional circumstances such as during lockdown or when a whole or majority of a route could not be read.
(b) Households in Kwanokuthula and Kranshoek are levied for refuse removal, sewerage connection fees and water basic fees that adds to R1 254.44 broken down as follow:
(c) As illustrated in the table above, there are households in Kranshoek that do not have water meter detail and therefore no basic fee is levied. The water services department is currently assisting the revenue section to investigate households with no water levy, specifically in the Kranshoek area, which comprise of a total of 67 erven.
(d) Consumption is not levied in the R1 254.44 or the R829.42 as stated in answer (b) above, those are only basic charges for the services mentioned in the calculations above.
(e) Meter readings are performed monthly in intervals not exceeding 35 days. Meters are estimated only in exceptional circumstances.
(f) As mentioned in (e) above, meter readings are performed monthly. Allegations that the municipality does not perform monthly readings is not true. However, we do estimate in exceptional circumstances.
(g) Kwanokuthula = R 66 650 902.99
Kranshoek = R 81 859 916.74
(h) Normally sub-economic households use less than 25kl of water and therefor it is rare that corrections on water levies will take place even if estimates were performed.
(i) Indigent households are afforded 6kl of water free, exemption on basic fees and receive 50 units of free electricity.
(j) (i) Applications received = 4 305
(ii) Applications Approved = 1 442
Applications Pending = 2 863 (Verification pending, with target date of 30 June 2021 for process to be completed)
(k) Water does not get disconnected; the flow gets restricted if and when applicable. Meters are read monthly, except in exceptional circumstances.
(l) The municipality supports a consolidated account approach and may collect money from pre-paid sales purchases to service an outstanding debt refer to Caselaw: “Rademan v Moqhaka Local Municipality and Others”.
(m) Residents’ right to access of water is not infringed since the municipality do not disconnect water but are rather restricting the flow as a debt collection mechanism.
(n) A date suitable to all stakeholders will be agreed as a matter of urgency during the coming weeks.
