Fred Buys is a 70-year-old pensioner who has to get by on a meagre state pension.
In 2009 things took a turn for the worst when after paying between R500 and R600 a month for electricity he suddenly was threatened with a termination notice. The municipality claimed he had fallen in arrears to the amount of R14 000. He was told to pay R3 000 to avoid having his services cut, and he allegedly had to pay the rest in monthly instalments.
After this Buys took the municipality to the small claims court and won the case. The municipality was ordered to pay back R9 000 and he was promised a monthly rebate. This never was followed through with due to the municipal representative repeatedly cancelling their appointments. Buys sent numerous letters and went to the Civic Centre and Thuso House countless times, but without any success.
By 2012 the municipality once again claimed that Buys owes them in the region of R14 000. They again threatened to cut his electricity if he did not pay R3 000 immediately. Since he was taking care of his terminally ill wife he could not afford to be without electricity and paid up. He also was forced to sign a letter of debt. Something he says he did under duress.
A few days later his wife passed away.
Since then Buys paid a visit the Civic Centre at the end of every month to try and sort out the problem and prevent his electricity from being cut.
In September Buys once again received a termination notice and was informed he had to pay R1 400 a month until his debt was clear.
Buys who is at the end of his tether says this is R200 more than his pension and he now has to start selling his furniture to pay his wrongful debt to the municipality.
“The government gives with the one hand but takes with the other. The municipality is a bunch of dictators with whom you can not negotiate,” says Buys.
“At least on some occasion my children could help me but what about all those vulnerable old people with no children they can turn to?” Buys wants to know.
The record could not reach councillor Marianne Kemp for comment by the time of going to print.
Good luck. The municipality will never get it sorted. I have moved into my house 5 years ago and paid the deposit’s required and since then everything is a mess up. Our address has 3 different account numbers for one stand number. Our account is such a mess, tried to solve no luck. I pay what I think and they must be happy with this, I have now done my fair share of trying to explain. Somewhere last year they have charged me R4000 for water the month I refuse to pay it. Wonder if they will supply me for a new piki up dustbin since it was broken by their workers or contracted workers. So fed up with this lot.