Ekurhuleni takes extra precaution with billing system

This comes after the City of Johannesburg came under fire for a security flaw that may have compromised ratepayer information to anyone with an Internet connection.

According to Kiruben Pillay, the municipality’s chief information officer, the integrity of the metro’s online billing system, eSiyakhokha, remains intact.

He assures Ekurhuleni residents that customer information on the eSiyakhokha services is protected in line with the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry’s security best practices.

“Users must register on the site before they can access their information, and after registration, they are issued with a username and password to access their account information.

“You can only view your own statements on the site. No additional information is accessible,” says Pillay.

Pillay says the recent Johannesburg incident has led to the Ekurhuleni metro taking extra precautionary measures to protect its consumers.

“We have reviewed our eSiyakhokha services for any security flaws and have dealt with a potential flaw that we detected.

“Furthermore, we have also reviewed the eValuation website and the pre-paid electricity systems managed by third parties, and can advise that there are adequate security controls in place, which prevent security breaches, such as others being able to view or edit another customer’s information,” he adds.

Sheldon Quarmby, CEO of Interfile, the company that manages the municipality’s eSiyakhokha online billing site, confirms that they have dealt with the potential security vulnerability on the system.

“We acted on the vulnerability, however, it is important for ratepayers to be aware that there was no security breach.”

For any queries, customers may contact the eSiyakhokha call centre on 011 361 4201, between 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, or send an email to emmsupport@interfile.co.za.