The City of Tshwane’s aggressive revenue collection campaign, #TshwaneYaTima, has encountered pushback after two national departments in Pretoria denied allegations that their power supply was cut off due to unpaid municipal bills.
The campaign, led by two members of the mayoral committee (MMC), Obakeng Ramabodu and Tshegofatso Mashabela, targets national departments with outstanding municipal accounts totalling millions of rands, as part of the City’s efforts to recover R30 billion in unpaid bills.
One of the departments in question, the Department of Social Development (DSD), was called out by Health MMC Mashabela for owing R1.2 million. In a video posted on social media, Mashabela was seen standing outside the department’s offices, claiming: “We were here to switch off, and we will only switch on once the money reflects in our account. We want the full amount to be paid to the City.” Ramabodu, the MMC for Environmental and Agriculture Management, also warned that other departments could face similar disconnections.
However, Linda Page, spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, strongly rejected the claim, saying that the department did not owe R1.2 million. She explained that the power supply had never been disconnected, and attributed the confusion to inefficiencies in the City’s billing system. “We have invoices as proof,” she stated.
Bathembu Futshane, spokesperson for the DSD, also denied that the department’s offices had been disconnected from the power grid, clarifying that as a tenant, the DSD is not responsible for all municipal rates and payments. He redirected the matter to the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), which owns the building. HSRC spokesperson Dr. Lucky Ditaunyane confirmed that no disconnection had occurred and explained that, according to the arrangement, the DSD was required to pay 54% of the electricity bill.
The City also targeted Denel, a state-owned defence company, which allegedly owes R13 million in municipal bills. The City has deactivated Denel’s services until the debt is settled, but attempts to reach Denel for comment were unsuccessful.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo mentioned that they could not confirm whether payments had been made over the weekend, as they were still awaiting confirmation of payment allocations. He also stated that Denel’s services remained disconnected until the outstanding balance was paid.
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