Rates clearance applications are being addressed – municipality
The City encourages feedback from residents regarding any challenges relating to the system so they can speedily address the concerns as and when they arise.
IN an attempt to provide debt management and effective customer relations through an integrated system, the eThekwini Municipality moved to the new billing system known as the Revenue Management System (RMS) from 1 July 2016.
The system also improves the ability to manage information, business processes, financial controls and management reporting. The municipality has issued a statement to notify residents that they are doing their best to ensure that applications are dealt with timeously.
Speaking about the system, eThekwini Municipality’s communications head, Tozi Mthethwa, said, “It takes six to eight weeks to register a transfer of an immovable property. This has not changed. However, due to the backlog accumulated during migration to the new system, the transfer period has been extended. We have continued accepting clearance applications regardless of this and this has led to a backlog. Currently the municipality has about 1785 applications that need to be processed and it is anticipated that the backlog will be cleared by the end of October 2016.
“This past weekend, more than 500 applications and 100 certificates were issued. The City’s Revenue Clearance Section receives about 300 applications per day. Each and every application is different. There are various scenarios that can delay the application such as the sale price being too high compared to market value and the application has to be investigated. Other delays arise when customers improve their structures without proper approvals, properties that have prepaid electricity and investigations have to be done, customers tamper with water and electricity meters and those fraudulent activities have to be investigated, and when properties have been handed over to attorneys for legal action.”
According to Mthethwa, the above list is not exhaustive, but all of the above scenarios will delay the processing of applications. The normal applications where there are no issues are issued within a reasonable time of 10 days.
“The City encourages feedback from residents regarding any challenges relating to the system so we can speedily address the concerns as and when they arise. We are committed to providing efficient service delivery at all times,” added Mthethwa.
