Elderly demand mayor’s attention
Tsakane - Tsakane Concerned Pensioners are demanding that the executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, address their grievances.
This is after they submitted emails to the mayor’s office which have not received any response to date.
A member of the group, Daniel Sibeko, says they are tired of being forced to pay high municipal service rates.
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“The more we pay, the more the monthly tariffs increase and we can no longer keep up,” he says.
Daniel says their balances are now running into thousands of Rands.
“We cannot keep up even though we are registered as indigents.
“All our pension grants are now spent on the high tariffs, so that we can no longer afford to buy food.
“We are taking care of our grandchildren because most of their parents are late or unemployed,” he says.
Daniel says that they handed over a memorandum of their grievances to the CCC manager and other councillors in the area.
“Three months later we haven’t heard anything from them; this shows that they don’t take us seriously,” he says.
Another member, Peter Phora, says they are tired of being overlooked by the municipality.
“They know where to find us when they are canvassing for elections but now that we need them to listen to our grievances they turn a deaf ear.
“Whenever we try to find out about the progress on the matter from the city, the young municipal officials become arrogant,” he says.
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Ekurhuleni spokesman, Themba Gadebe, says that the monthly levies are based on the promulgated tariffs as approved by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality.
He says that approved indigents are subsidised on a monthly basis.
“This helps to avoid the accumulation of amounts in arrears and the entrapment in debt of customers.
“It is recommended that all pensioners who are property owners, occupying such property and subject to the applicable policies, apply for the applicable rebate on assessment rates.
“They should also engage the Health and Social departments in order to register as indigents,“ he says.
He urged individuals who are experiencing problems with their accounts to visit the local Customer Care Centre for assistance and the solving of such issues.
