Ekurhuleni customers not affected by change of bank – metro

The Ekurhuleni metro has asserted that the change of bank has not affected customers’ ability to pay their municipal accounts, as all payments made are redirected to the City’s mask account.

This is according to a statement issued by the metro’s spokesperson, Themba Gadebe, and it comes, according to the Benoni City Times, after the reports by the DA shadow MMC for Finance in Ekurhuleni, councillor Bruce Reid, who said the tender for the Absa bank account, into which residents paid their municipal accounts, ended at the end of June.

Reid also said Nedbank had since been awarded the tender and the new account opened at the beginning of July.

In a statement issued on Friday, Gadebe said: “The City of Ekurhuleni is in contract with Nedbank, which has been effective since September 2015 following a tender process that was awarded in the 2015/16 financial year.

“To minimise the inconvenience to over three million Ekurhuleni customers, payments made into Absa, Standard Bank and First National Bank accounts are received and recorded as these accounts have not been closed.”

Gadebe added that in a bid to ensure the sustainability of the City’s payment level, as well as to prevent customers from being in unduly arrears, no accounts have been cancelled.

“For security reasons customers are encouraged to visit or contact their rates offices at their nearest customer care center to receive Nedbank’s account details where payments can be made,” said Gadebe.

The statement further said customers who prefer to pay through electronic funds transfer can do so through most banks: Nedbank, Absa, Standard Bank and FNB branches across Ekurhuleni.

Alternatively, payments can be made through the e-siyakhokha online payment system at www.e-siyakhokha.co.za as well as third party vendors such as Checkers and Pick ’n Pay.

The Benoni City Times further reported that in response to a number of complaints the publication had received from residents that their bills for June were inaccurate and were effectively copies of the bills they received in June 2016, the metro said the error was “due to incorrect data files used to print statements”.

“The correct statements have been delivered to affected residents and the City of Ekurhuleni wishes to apologise for the inconvenience caused,” the metro said.

– Caxton News Service

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