City terminates its services from JSB due to non-payments

The Johannesburg Society for the Blind (JSB) appreciates concerns and support from the community regarding their plight.

Both City Power (CP) and Johannesburg Water (JW) discontinued their services for the past eight months and four years respectively, yet the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) is still billing them for these services.

Regarding account number 220004995 for electricity, in May alone they were billed R83 649.71 and their total amount outstanding is over R9m. On account number 440731851 for water, they owed R42 864,24 in June and their total amount outstanding is over R26m.

The home to 51 blind people has been battling to make ends meet for quite some time now. There are many suggestions from those who still love the organisation. Some are saying: Why don’t they put it onto prepaid? Why are they not given indigent charges for electricity instead of business charges? Why can the entire JSB not be taken off the grid by the installation of solar power by solar power installation companies? And there are other suggestions too.

Allegations with negative impact

The Southern Courier spoke to different stakeholders involved with the JSB. Its chairman since 1999, Hennie Els said the change in economy and high inflation rate have a serious impact on the organisation.

“Management can only recover R1 700 per resident and heavily depend on the Department of Social Development (DSD) grant and other support. This does not even cover full meals, never mind electricity and water bills. There is no way that residents can pay more. It costs about R6 800 per person per month to feed them, employ relevant staff and maintain the buildings.

“Many vexatious and frivolous allegations were made against management over the years of mismanaging funds which are not true, how can you mismanage something that does not exist?

“Funders are no longer giving funds to the NPOs like they used to give in the past years and it becomes unbearable to manage with the little income we receive.

“Some of the blind people suffer with mental illnesses that come with blindness. For example, fear of the unknown, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar and management must manage this.

“Outside people do not always realise that many of the claims made are without merit and people sensationally exploit this and cause major integrity damages,” explained Els.

He said that in 2013, a TV programme ran a story completely out of proportion because it was done purely for sensation. The DSD stopped the subsidy from 2014 to 2017 and only reinstated it after a protest march was planned against the then Minister, Bathabile Dhlamini and the DSD.

The Comaro Chronicle is following up with the producers of the programme to establish the content and findings of the programme which was aired. Feedback will be published as soon as it is available.

Ongoing struggle

“The struggle with CP and JW comes from 15 to 18 years ago where we maintain they were billing the JSB wrongly. For example, the city does not bill NPOs at the same rates as others. This was addressed on various levels without any solution. Even in the electricity audit done, it was pointed out to them,” Els continued.

“On February 26, the various role players held a meeting where they agreed that the electricity would be restored and monitored for a month to establish the actual cost. This has never happened and JSB is still receiving a very high monthly bill for a service that does not exist. This justifies our claim of ‘wrong billing’.

“In 2013 management got an external electricity auditing company to conduct an electricity audit. When they found where electricity was consumed, it was addressed and even the kitchen was placed on LPG gas.

“It was found that CP ‘overestimated’ the usage in the building by 50%. The other problem was, the bill must be reconciled to 1965 (59 years) but then it would indicate that JSB is actually on credit.

“The question is: Why did the city not issue a summons so that JSB can place their facts before a court of law and be able to show the incompetency of CoJ staff?

“It all comes down to information I have received that certain politicians, with the assistance of persons within DSD, and the CoJ want to drive management out so that they can take the premises over.

“In the meantime, it is expected that management must manage and take care of vulnerable people without government or public assistance,” he said.

Els also mentioned management tried to preserve the legacy of late advocate Steve Kekana to uplift and educate the blind youth.

Blind students can complete matric and skills development courses at JSB that could assist them in bettering their lives.

“Nobody mentions all the good achievements of the blind youth including an arts production showcased at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda and received two awards. JSB CEO Vangile Nyamathe has a passion for the blind we serve,” he said.

Any help is welcome

Dineo Khumalo, from JSB marketing and administration, said they welcomed any public support to raise awareness about the dire situation at their facility. Despite persistent efforts to negotiate with CP and the CoJ, the issue remains unresolved.

“We have contacted the concerned departments several times to resolve these important issues. However, no concrete measures have been taken to restore basic services.

“Surprisingly, even though we have been without water for four years, our water bills have mysteriously multiplied, indicating a serious discrepancy in the billing system.

“Likewise, even without electricity in the last eight months, our electricity bill has increased by almost a million rand. We also consulted with the office of the Ombudsman, but unfortunately, this did not produce any concrete results. The continued failure of solutions leaves our facility at a disadvantage, greatly impacting our ability to provide essential services to our beneficiaries.

“We invite the public to help us understand our situation. The JSB is committed to empowering blind people through education, skills development and support. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for the visually impaired individuals, but we cannot do it alone,” she said.

City of Johannesburg confirms engagements

City’s group finance director in communications and stakeholder engagement, Kgamanyane Maphologela said the CoJ has consistently engaged with the representatives of the JSB to address their municipal billing and accumulated debt.

“During these meetings, detailed explanations were provided regarding the society’s municipal bill and the debt they owed. It was emphasised that the city’s billing practices are accurate.

“Despite these efforts, the JSB has not met its obligation to pay for municipal services in full and on time over the years. Consequently, their debt has significantly increased, leading the city to terminate municipal services at the property.

“The city has made multiple attempts to assist the society by proposing payment arrangements to help rehabilitate their financial situation. However, these efforts have been unsuccessful as the society repeatedly defaulted on the minimum monthly payments required for the services received,” explained Maphologela.

To illustrate the extent of the issue:

• Water account (account number 440731851): The society last paid R60 000 in January 2021, against a total debt of R26m.

• Account number 500120440: the society owes R5.8m, with the last payment of R10 000 made in January 2021.

• Account number 220004995: The last payment of R30 000 was made in January 2022, against a monthly billing of R70 000. The total debt on this account is R9.8m, and electricity services were disconnected around 2023.

Maphologela said municipalities must collect revenue, and property owners are responsible for making consistent and timely payments for municipal services.

The constitution mandates all municipalities to impose taxes, levies, and duties. Local government legislation, including the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Property Rates Act, requires municipalities to be self-funded and to provide essential services like water, electricity, and housing to millions of residents.

“The non-payment of municipal services has placed the city at risk of not being able to provide consistent water, electricity, collect refuse, build, and maintain new infrastructure to millions of residents in the future if municipal services are not paid for,” noted Maphologela.

Payments made to JSB

Gauteng DSD deputy director of media liaison and strategy, Busi Kheswa said, “The NPO generally has not been honouring their electricity and utility bills.

“The NPO has received payment, the first payment was R346 875 for their disability programme and R77 250 for the older persons programme. Both payments were made on July 4. The responsibility is theirs to honour their debts.”

History of Johannesburg Society for the Blind by Hennie Els

The chairmanship of JSB was managed by the late honourable Steve Tebogo Kekana from September 2013 until he passed away on July 1 2021.

The Society to Help Civilian Blind had its origins when Mrs GK (Dorothy) Nowlan and four friends each put R2 into a pool to start the first organisation to assist blind people north of the Vaal River.

In 1926, Joe Wiggill and his blind colleagues worked from their homes and brought their cane products to the Blind Society’s office each Friday to be sold. From humble beginnings, the Blind Society became pioneers of a full welfare service for blind people.

In 1932 a decision was made to purchase a premises for the Blind Society on the corner of Sauer and Frederick streets in Johannesburg.

In 1940 the Society for the Blind purchased a site in Anderson Street, Johannesburg.

The blind workers increased and in 1965 they moved the workshops to 159 North Road, Regents Park and these premises increased with flats built for the aged around 1973.

The management of the workshops became a crisis due to the Chinese market introducing artificial cane products at a quarter of the price.

Even the blister packaging had to be stopped as the markets refused to pay the cost per item packed and thus started to become a burden, rather than an income.

WATCH: Johannesburg Society for the Blind without water, power after bill not paid for years