DA to send billing queries to Auditor General for further investigation

As a response to the City of Johannesburg's refusal last Wednesday to accept 3000 queries logged by city residents at the DA Billing Day at Marks Park on 18 August, the DA will be passing on all the information gathered from residents to the Auditor General (AG). The DA will make all spreadsheets and supporting documentation available to the team conducting Johannesburg's current audit to prove that the billing crisis is still in full force. The Billing Crisis and the defective financial data it has produced have been at the heart of Johannesburg's failure to attain an unqualified audit over the past two years.

It is a matter of extreme embarrassment to Joburg's ANC administration, and to Mayor Parks Tau in particular, that with two consecutive qualified audits in 2009/10 and 2010/11, Johannesburg's has been the worst performing of the country's nine metros when it comes to accuracy and reliability of its financial information. The City has been the recipient of two stern letters from the Auditor General highlighting the many failings and inaccuracies by the City caused largely by the Billing Crisis. With the information the DA will be passing to the AG, it will be difficult for the City to prove that the crisis is now over and no longer has a significant effect on the City's current financial data.

Last Wednesday the DA attempted to hand over all the information gathered on DA Billing Day to the City. City Spokesperson Zoleka Zida refused to accept the information on the basis that correct channels exist in the City for resolution of queries, and that residents who logged queries with the DA were jumping the queue. "When confronted with the fact that billing queries presented by the DA already had City reference numbers logged and in many instances residents had made multiple attempts to solve queries, Ms Zida had no answers," said Cllr Patrick Atkinson, DA Finance Spokesperson in Johannesburg. "What made her comments even more curious is the fact that some queries date back to 2003, and how this can be construed that residents are jumping the queue is simply nonsensical".

ANC Finance MMC, Cllr Geoffrey Makhubo has also stated that the few billing queries that remain unresolved are because they are complex queries. Further investigation of the 3000 queries logged with the DA show that many are in fact, very simple. These related to simple matters like replacing burnt out electricity meters, correcting inaccurate meter readings or following up with the public for outstanding supporting documentation to their queries.

What has been most distressing from the documentation gathered, has been the City's unhelpfulness to many of its retired residents who have found it difficult to apply for pensioner rebates after a lifetime of contributing to the City's coffers. Transfer of property and accounts on the death of an aged spouse have also proved very troublesome for some of the City's most vulnerable residents. "The City should allocate officials at each Revenue Centre who specialise in dealing with pensioners and senior citizens if its slogan of Batho Pele can be taken seriously," says Cllr Atkinson.

Two other public oversight bodies who will be receiving the DA's billing information this week will be the Public Protector and the National Consumer Council (NCC). "Both public bodies have received many individual complaints from frustrated residents, but the sheer volume of the queries from the DA that will be presented to them will be something that can be used to interrogate the City on a billing crisis that is far from over," says Cllr Atkinson.

The DA will continue to use all means at its disposal to assist City residents with getting their queries properly resolved. We are confident that pressure from public oversight bodies such as the Auditor General, the Public Protector and the NCC will force the City to take these 3000 queries seriously and to move from a denial that the Billing Crisis still exists to actually solving the problem.

The DA will not let this matter rest until the City has adequately responded to all outstanding queries. 

Statement issued by Patrick Atkinson, DA Shadow MMC: Finance - City of Johannesburg, September 9 2012

Click here to sign up to receive our free daily headline email newsletter