Jo’burg billing system probe almost done

The Public Protector will issue her findings into the billing problems in the city in two months' time.

Added by Editor on 30 January 2013.
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Public Protector Thuli Madonsela will release her report on the City of Johannesburg’s electricity billing system on 31 March, her office said on Wednesday.

Madonsela’s intervention followed complaints by Johannesburg residents about exorbitantly high and incorrect bills.

She called on the city to resolve the problem while her office monitored progress. She advised the city to consider international benchmarking with other billing systems in the world, and establishing an ombudsman to address complaints.

Last year, the city announced it would establish its own ombudsman, a move Madonsela welcomed. She said this would provide correct systems through which people’s anger could be channelled, in the process reducing people’s frustration and streets protests.

The presidency also met with the city officials after its hotline received 8 000 complaints about the city’s billing system.

At the time, the city had a total of 66 000 outstanding billing queries.

Later in 2012, Madonsela said she was satisfied with efforts by the city to address its billing problems.  — Sapa

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  • George Thomas Stevenson

    Let’s not forget the slogan used in The City of Joburg marketing – “A World Class African City”… Now that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one.

  • Davebee

    Just in time to commence a new probe………………EKURHULENI has ‘forgotten’ to appoint a meter reading firm. Yup, just forgotten, sommer just forgotten, a BASIC part of being a local authority is just FORGOTTEN. However, I’m told that Mr. Bungler the City Manager (I use the term loosely) has NOT forgotten to pick up his obscenely large pay cheque!

    I suppose it does not need a Sherlock Holmes to work out that the Ekurhuleni Metro is run (Run…????) by a political party called the ANC? Readers may also recall that it was the Ekurhuleni Metro who coughed up several million to pay Robert McBride’s legal team and us rate payers are STILL waiting for that to be repaid as our Robbie was found guilty of DUI. Which also means I suppose that we are minus the cost of the car that Robbie wrote off that December evening?

    There was a fairly competent firm called MOTLA doing the readings and why MOTLA was not reappointed has never been revealed. Could it be that MOTLA are…God forbid, NOT CORRUPT?

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