The morning of 7 September saw a climax of emotions among a community outraged at what they considered as an unfair and inexcusable situation, as reported in the News‘ 18 September issue.
As always, when such accusations are made, both sides have a right to be heard.
The West Rand Power Distributors (WRPD), which supplies electricity to the West Village area, recently told their side of the story, providing feedback on allegations made by the public.
In the initial article, it was noted that homeowner Laura van der Merwe claimed that the house’s electricity bill went from about R1 600 to about R5 000 in a few months’ time. WRPD responded by asserting that, “The said individual is an owner of a property rented out to third parties, and notified WRPD and confirmed that her tenant were in fact working granite at the premises. Furthermore, the said individual has been in arrears with her electricity payment on various occasions and has made arrangements to pay off the outstanding accounts since 2018.
However, the said individual constantly and consistently failed to comply with her own undertakings to effect payment of her outstanding electricity account. The said individual defaulted on the payment arrangement. The said property is now serviced by a pre-paid meter.”
Responding to other members of the community who complained about higher electricity bills, WRPD explained, “Electricity consumption usually increases during winter months and we have had an unusually cold winter in 2020.
“Electricity tariffs were increased with effect from the first of July, 2020 by 6,22 per cent, as allowed by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.”
WRPD also answered questions surrounding the specifics of the tariff used to bill West Village residents.
The community further inquired about WRPD’s social responsibility initiatives and the installation of street lamps, to which they responded, “WRPD is not required nor responsible for the maintenance for street lighting or the installation thereof as same falls under the authority of the Mogale City Local Municipality.
We kindly reiterate that WRPD is a private service provider to its clients. WRPD maintains that an open door policy exists to all its customers to address any areas of concern and/ or issues between business hours on a daily basis.”
Lastly, addressing the concerns of a family of four living in a commune who complained about their treatment within the house, WRPD noted that, “We confirm that there is a dispute between the landlord and the tenant. WRPD does not have any influence and/ or input in this dispute regarding outstanding rent.”
