Seven eThekwini councillors charged internally for ‘not paying for municipal services’

The eThekwini Metro’s Ethics Committee has charged seven councillors for allegedly defaulting on their municipal accounts, according to KwaZulu-Natal Cogta MEC Sipho Hlomuka.

He welcomed the steps the eThekwini Metro took against the councillors, who are from different parties in the metro.

Hlomuka said councillors and officials had to lead by example and should be “held accountable for their actions”.

“The consumer debt stands at over R20 billion in the province and it cannot be right that we have councillors or officials as perpetrators of this deliberate behaviour, which compromises service delivery even for those who pay for the services. We expect all leaders to lead by example,” he said.

Hlomuka also called on municipalities to take steps to hold to account all councillors who delay the delivery of services to communities.

“Municipalities must ensure that the councillors who do not pay for electricity and water are punished because, as elected representatives, they should take [the] lead in mobilising their communities to support the Masakhane campaign, which seeks to encourage all citizens to pay for services,” he added.

The eThekwini Metro has had a difficult few years after former eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede was asked to step down. The ANC cited performance as a concern.

The City has had endless issues with refuse collection, abnormally high electricity bills and a host of other administrative issues.

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