Issued by: Southern Metropolitan Council
The Johannesburg council urges `cut-off' residents to seek legal methods of reconnecting their services - or face law suits for fraudulence and corruption.
A survey of 1 400 households recently cut off by the local councils because of non-payment, showed that 82% of these homes were still enjoying services. Yet non had applied for econnection through the regular channels of the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council.
Revenue collection spokesperson Andy van Zyl says householders must have resorted to one of three possibilities, all illegal. "Either they did the reconnections themselves, or they employed the services of `rogue re-connectors' who presented themselves at their front doors, or they bribed corrupt council officials to reflect `terminated services' on the records without actually doing the cuts."
Van Zyl is in a team of credit controllers who are "stepping up measures" against those trying to cheat the council. "Wherever we find instances of fraudulence or corruption, we will not be very kind," he says.
"Cheaters will probably have to go to court. They will have to pay the full costs of the legal action. Their dishonesty will be recorded and their names will be published."
Applying for legal reconnection, he adds, will cost more the second time round.
Issued on behalf of the Committee of 10 Technical comment: Andy van Zyl 082-4902033 (Revenue Collection spokesperson) Political comment: Councillor Shan Balton 082-567-6311 (Political head of credit control initiatives for Committee of 10)