Tshwane Faces Double-Billing Allegations Amid Record Revenue Collection
The City of Tshwane finds itself embroiled in controversy after political opponents accused the administration of double billing residents while celebrating record revenue collection figures for October.
Record Revenue Meets Political Backlash
Deputy Mayor and Finance MMC Eugene Modise announced the municipality collected R4.088 billion in October revenue, exceeding expectations across all major revenue streams. The figure represents R19.5 million above the city’s funding plan target and R56.3 million beyond initial forecasts.
“Surpassing the R4 billion mark is a reflection of resilience, strategic foresight, and a shared belief in the city’s capacity to deliver excellence,” Modise stated, praising the collective effort of municipal teams and residents.
Opposition Cries Foul Over Billing Practices
However, the Democratic Alliance’s Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink sharply criticized the revenue announcement, claiming the impressive numbers stemmed from “rampant double billing” for waste collection and city cleansing services.
“In the past month, the city proceeded to enforce credit control on disputed waste collection and city cleansing bills, despite widespread confusion and disorganization about these charges,” Brink alleged. He warned that if the Supreme Court of Appeal overturns the controversial city cleansing levy, the municipality would need to refund “a significant portion” of collected revenue to already overburdened consumers.
Municipality Admits System Glitch
City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo acknowledged technical issues affected 11,862 accounts, confirming that a “system error stemming from a technical misconfiguration” incorrectly applied cleansing charges to some properties.
“Following a detailed technical review and verification exercise, the system has now been reprogrammed to ensure that cleansing charges are only applied to properties that do not receive municipal waste collection services,” Mashigo explained.
Corrective Measures Underway
The municipality implemented a bulk adjustment process in October to address the billing errors. Affected customers will see reversals reflected in their November municipal statements, with credit adjustments being processed in batches throughout the month.
“Upon discovery, the city acted swiftly to investigate and correct the problem, reaffirming its commitment to transparency, accountability, and fairness in all financial processes,” Mashigo added.
Economic Development Push Continues
Separately, the city has launched an initiative to boost economic growth by making municipal assets available for private investment and development. MMC for Economic Development and Spatial Planning Sarah Mabotsa released a portfolio of city-owned properties for long-term lease and development.
The available properties include the Pretoria Showgrounds, Sunnyside Mandela Corridor, various stadium precincts, and industrial properties in Rosslyn. The initiative aims to help achieve the coalition government’s goal of 3.9% economic growth and attract between R17 and R26 billion in new investment by 2029.
Source: Original reporting from the source material