Madibeng Local Municipality has paid over half of the more than R250 million debt it owes the City of Tshwane for bulk water supply.
Commenting on the payment on Thursday, the City of Tshwane Mayor Randall Williams said: “The City of Tshwane welcomes payment of R155 million from Madibeng Local Municipality towards their bulk water supply debt Two days after the City of Tshwane secured a court ruling allowing the City to attach the bank account of Madibeng Local Municipality in the North-West Province.”
Williams said Madibeng municipality “has come forward and paid R155 million of the R258 million that they owed to the City of Tshwane”.
He added: “The City of Tshwane welcomes this payment and will further engage Madibeng Local Municipality on the payment of the outstanding arrears totaling over R100 million.
“We mean business and through the #TshwaneYaTima revenue collection campaign we will continue to pursue debt that is owed to us by residents, businesses, and government entities
Williams said the message the City of Tshwane was driving here was clear, “pay for services rendered”.
Explaining why the City of Tshwane was taking a hard line on debt, the mayor said: “As a municipality we purchase electricity and water in bulk, meaning by the time we distribute these services, we have already paid on our side.
“If we then fail to receive revenue back from services rendered, it leaves us with shortfalls in our finances The #TshwaneYaTima campaign is born out of necessity to restore the city’s financial health.
“The culture of non-payment for services had to be tackled head-on.”
