The Tshwane metro has warned residents regarding individuals who seemingly work for the metro soliciting payments from customers with outstanding accounts.
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said these scammers, posing as revenue collection agents, allegedly use municipal vehicles and present fake documentation to deceive customers.
According to reports, some individuals have been requesting bribes from customers in exchange for not disconnecting services.
“A contractor with legitimate documentation and a valid job card demanded a bribe from a customer in exchange for not disconnecting their services,” said Mashigo.
“Despite having the authority to cut off services, the contractor attempted to extort money from the customer, raising concerns about dishonest behaviour,” he added.
Mashigo said in another incident a customer whose account was also in arrears offered cash to a contractor believing it was a legitimate payment to Tshwane.
He explained that this is not how Tshwane collects outstanding fees from customers.
“Customers are cautioned to refrain from making payments to contractors and/or employees while out to disconnect customers whose accounts are in arrears,” he said.
According to Masigo, when revenue collection agents are dispatched for disconnection there isn’t any sort of negotiation or financial transaction that takes place between them and the customers.
He said the agents are also not permitted to collect cash from the customer.
ALSO READ: Residents unhappy about new North waste collection schedule
Customers should take note of the following when dealing with the revenue collection team:
– A contractor should provide their name, surname and employee number with a photo.
– They should also provide the date of tender and period of the contract, name of the company as well as contact number.
– Customers can only make payments into the municipal account at the nearest City of Tshwane customer centre or make a payment arrangement at the municipal offices.
“Tshwane wants to warn the public not to entertain these perpetrators and those trying to extort money from our customers that they will be arrested, charged and prosecuted, as their actions border on criminality,” concluded Mashigo.
A resident in Olympus in the east of Pretoria almost fell victim to the extortionists masquerading as officials of Tshwane.
The perpetrator told Sandie Soncini on WhatsApp that they were coming to cut her power because she was in arrears.
Soncini shared the message on social media as a warning to others.
“Good day its Paul Tshabalala from City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality its in regards to a scheduled disconnection for your property… because of an arears in the municipal account I tried to calling earlier on but your phone went on voice-mail, We going to be at the premises in the next 2 hours,” read the WhatsApp text.
Soncini said she was contacted on Monday, July 15.
“I was suspicious.”
She said she asked for proof.
“I asked them for photos of the disconnection notice, so they stopped talking to me and they disappeared,” Soncini said.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
