Demand letters from ELM worry community
“We do not receive services, no rubbish is collected, sewerage runs down our streets, crime is rife, prostitution is worse."
VEREENIGING. – The community of Vereeniging has received a fright following the delivery of letters of demands from the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) recently.
The letters of demand are from a company called NTIYIS Consulting Group, which is apparently making collections on behalf of ELM for services rendered (rates and taxes). The letters, which Sedibeng Ster has seen, state the different amounts that the owners owe and further said: “In terms of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 (as amended) and other relevant legislation, you are obligated to make payment to our client for Municipal Services rendered.”
Community members have been left wondering what to do as they were never “warned” beforehand about the letters that are demanding payment for services that they are not receiving.
“We do not receive services, no rubbish is collected, sewerage runs down our streets, crime is rife, prostitution is worse, but we are expected to pay for services. Where are those services, who are they offering them to? They (ELM) need to go there and demand payment and not from us. We are not going to be bullied,” said community members.
ELM Ward 15 Councillor, Prudence Hlanyane who is also the DA’s Regional Chairperson, said that the letters are legitimate but that she has mixed feelings about them because the ELM has not been providing the residents of Vereeniging with any service.
“The municipality has been doing the community a disservice as they have not been providing any service to them. My advice is that residents must apply for indigency if the household income is less than R 6 100. They must also apply for rebates for pensioners who don’t qualify for indigency,” said Hlanyane.
The other thing that the residents can do is to lodge a dispute with the municipality (about the huge amounts of money that appear on the letters), and submit their readings via the WhatsApp line to ensure that they are billed correctly,” Hlanyane ended.
Meanwhile, the residents have promised to “stick together” and challenge the municipality.
