Following recent complaints from residents about their electricity billing, Ward 89 Councillor Laurette van Zijl said, she has discovered what can only be described as fraudulent activities by the City of Johannesburg.
“Some Johannesburg residents are being charged twice for the same electricity usage when their electricity meters are replaced – once on the old meter and once on the new meter for presumed usage over the same period of time.
Van Zijl said this came to light when she was assisting residents in solving their account problems.
One resident’s account reveals that she owes the city R8 000 while another resident’s account is R18 000. Van Zijl stated, “The accounts give an actual reading on a specific date for the meter to be removed and an estimated reading for the new meter which starts some months before the actual reading on the other meter is taken.
“The Council’s own system then does not reflect the readings on the dates that the actual readings took place, but rather the start dates of the estimated readings on the new meters as per the account,” she said.
“It is either a case of the City having cooked books or of sending out incorrect accounts,” she added.
The City’s Revenue Shared Services Centre was sent questions regarding the electricity billing but is yet to respond.
