AfriForum sent PAJA application to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality regarding fee charges
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality instructed in an internal memorandum that the costs to replace stolen cables must be recovered from residents’ municipal accounts. AfriForum’s branches in the East Rand requested the municipality in terms of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) on 19 July to explain what led to the municipality’s implementation of this unreasonable levy.
The memorandum, issued by the municipality’s energy department, indicates that a fee of R1 725 will be charged to residents’ municipal accounts when consumers are without power due to cable theft. This memorandum underlines the fact that the energy department will not task any contractors with any repair work in case of theft until this charge has been settled.
“This decision is extremely unreasonable as consumers are already paying for this very service that the municipality is responsible for. Residents cannot be held responsible for covering the municipality’s costs,” says Jurie Ferreira, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the East Rand.
“It remains the responsibility of the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality to keep their infrastructure safe or replace stolen cables. AfriForum’s legal team will follow the necessary processes if the municipality continues with this absurd idea,” concludes Ferreira.
Click here to join or partake in initiatives at your nearest AfriForum branch.
