VANDERBIJLPARK – Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) continues ramping up its efforts to disconnect non-paying customers, with a particular focus on affluent areas.
On Monday, August 28, the MMC for Finance and Revenue, Hassan Mako together with different law enforcement agencies including the South African Police Services and the ELM Bylaws teams up in an intensified revenue collection in Riverbend.
According to the municipality over 100 non-paying consumers were switched off, and collectively the properties owed as much as R20 million.
In recent weeks, the team targeted the Vaal University side, S.E 7, and MMC Mako said at the time “There are a high number of households in this area that owe the municipality millions of rands. As we were about to disconnect, we saw a lot of bridging and a lot of illegal connections.”
“SE 7 is the first, but certainly not the last. We will also roll out this project to other areas. We are saying to those who have been doing wrong to stop. We urge residents to come forward and pay the municipality rates,” further alluded the MMC.
Delivering on his commitment, Mako extended the operation to the neighbouring suburb and said the rollout of the program will continue until all areas serviced by the municipality are covered.