Joburg councillors owe municipality R2.7m in rates, taxes

City of Johannesburg councillors owe the municipality R2.7m in rates and taxes. 

At least 11 are in arrears of more than three months while the city managed to deduct R7m from the salaries of delinquent councillors and other employees last year.

This is according to Kgamanyane Maphologela, director of customer communications for the city’s group finance department, who said this was a “huge” drop from previous months.  

Maphologela said the city manages 113 councillors’ rates and taxes municipal accounts through internal staff deductions. 

“At least 90% of these accounts are compliant in paying their debt regularly. This is proof the city’s internal credit control initiative, educational and awareness drives are bearing fruit,” he said.

“The non-compliant accounts are subject to the city’s normal credit control and debt collection processes, whereby an arrears account which has not entered payment arrangement will result in water or electricity disconnection until the account is paid in full.”

Maphologela said the city was one of the first metros to announce late last year it was targeting its own employees and councillors for owing municipal services. 

“The credit control action taken by the city against its own employees and councillors is to demonstrate that the city goes after anyone who owes the city unpaid municipal bills.

“It’s a firm demonstration that the city’s credit control policy is enforced, including against the city’s own employees and councillors, whom the city expects to be exemplary in their conduct.”

According to the Municipal Structures Act, “a staff member of a municipality may not be in arrears to the municipality for rates and services for more than three months”.

The Act also gives the municipality powers to deduct outstanding amounts from an employee's salary after this period.

Councillors in arrears do not only contravene the code of conduct but also act illegally by contravening the act.

Chairperson of the Sunninghill Community Ratepayers Association in Johannesburg, Linda Gildenhuys, said councillors who are not compliant should not be representing their constituencies. . 

“If they are representing their wards and not compliant in rates and taxes, there should be transparency and the ward they are representing should be notified.”

SowetanLIVE