The Cash-strapped City of Tshwane, which is owed billions of rand, has warned it will disconnect services to defaulting customers including embassies and government entities.
“Tshwane’s debtor’s book, mainly from government departments, embassies, businesses, residential customers, and entities due to non-payment of municipal services, currently stands at over R17 billion,” said the City of Tshwane on Tuesday.
The arrears are on property rates, water, and electricity services.
Residential customers owe the City about R8 billion and businesses R4 billion.
“This debt makes it difficult for the City to fulfill its obligation of delivering essential and basic services to its residents and customers,” said the City of Tshwane.
The City said impassioned pleas to customers to settle their outstanding municipal accounts have fallen on deaf ears.
As a result, the City said to recoup the debt owed it would disconnect water and electricity services even to government departments.
Buildings under the Department of Infrastructure Development and businesses in the CBD, Sunnyside, and parts of Centurion have been singled out for disconnections, warned the City.
