Interim billing causes frustrations among Bedfordview residents

Residents in Bedfordview are at their wits’ end and have expressed frustration over ongoing interim meter readings and billings.

This is a recurring problem that has plagued the community for some time.

Residents have reported that they continue to experience challenges with their meter readings not reflecting on their accounts despite submitting them via the MyCoEApp and Siyakhokha WhatsApp Chat.

This has resulted in residents being billed ridiculous amounts and facing disconnections due to interim readings.
Ward councillor Jill Humphreys told the Bedfordview and Edenvale News that some residents are even considering selling their properties due to the financial strain caused by these irregularities.

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Last year the councillor requested a finance open day to address the matter but that never materialised.

She recently launched a petition. “We call on the MMC of Finance in Ekurhuleni to urgently cease the practice of charging ratepayers three months or more of interim meter readings levies on monthly statements,” she said, adding that interim readings cannot become a consequence of the erratic meter reading process.

The petition also highlights deficiencies in the current system, particularly regarding the submission and processing of meter readings.

She called for an upgrade to the applications.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini stated that in the absence of actual readings, the billing system automatically generates interim consumption charges based on historical or average consumption patterns.

However, residents allege that these interim readings often do not accurately reflect their correct usage, resulting in inflated bills.

Dlamini explained the steps being taken to address the matter. “There has been a major initiative implemented to address the interim challenges and we’ve seen a positive impact.

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“However, there is still a holdback on gate locks from various residential properties, which forces us to continue with the interims.”He said the city has automated the system to allow residents to do their meter readings and submit them through the MyCoEApp, Siyakhokha WhatsApp Chat.

“The city still has meter readers who go around carrying the job. Letters are being left at the main gate of houses in case the meter is located inside the property as some of the owners don’t open their gates and some are not available at home during reading times.

“The letter directs the owner to send an email for arranging for a reader to come on a certain date and also encouraging the customers to use my CoE App and WhatsApp to submit meter readings,” said Dlamini.

Additionally, stating that the MyCoEApp allows monthly submissions of meter readings from all customers.

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He said residents must be cognitive of the meter reading calendar because if readings are submitted outside this period, they won’t be considered as valid.

All customers must first register on the Siyakhokha portal before they can use or submit their readings on the city’s digital platforms.

In addressing concerns about the finance billing department’s lack of access to the meter reading system for adjustments, Dlamini stated that the billing office can make corrections to billing deviations and that all Customer Care Centres (CCC) have dedicated resources to accommodate walk-in clients.

“We have identified Primrose and Bedfordview as some of the largest areas where meter readers are experiencing lots of pushback with gate locks from the residents in these areas. It will be great if the councillor can coordinate a community engagement in these areas,” said Dlamini.