City collects R8.2 million revenue from developers in Waterfall Estate 

29 May 2018

The team from Operation Buya Mthetho has collected R8.2 million from various developers at the Waterfall Estate in Midrand after they illegally connected water meters and stole water from the City.

An investigation led by the City’s Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) Unit and the Operation Buya Mthetho team established that a number of water meters installed at the Waterfall Estate in Midrand were not procured through standard processes and were therefore not on the City’s billing system.

It is clear that officials from the City assisted these developers in illegally obtaining these water meters and connected them so that they could carry on with their developments.

Working with law enforcement agencies we are confident that arrests will be made in the next few days.

The City supports various developments happening across the City which leads to job creation and economic development; and the new administration continues to deal with removing red tape that hinders these developments.

Unfortunately, some developers have found ways to engage in irregular practices which seeks to circumvent due process and end with massive revenue leakages for the City.

This practice amounts to the contravention of water and electricity supply by-laws and carries hefty fines for property owners and developers.

The City loses between R5-billion and R8-billion annually, due to revenue leakages and accounts being deleted off of the billing system. 

To date, Operation Buya Mthetho has collected about R408 million in revenue previously not billed by the City.

Operation Buya Mthetho is a multi-departmental operation aimed at enforcing by-laws and bringing the rule of law to the City of Johannesburg.  The operation targets properties across Johannesburg that are not paying for municipal services.

Operation Buya Mthetho is a joint operation between all key City departments and entities such as GFIS, Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD), Environmental Health, Social Development, Infrastructure Services, the City’s Legal Department, and Development Planning to name but a few.

The City will continue to intensify its efforts to stop revenue leakages and improve revenue collection to enhance service delivery.

Issued by Herman Mashaba, Executive Mayor, City of Joburg, 29 May 2018