An Overport pensioner said she was shocked when she received an exorbitant electricity bill, totalling R220 000, from eThekwini Municipality’s Electricity Department in January.
Mrs S Govender, a 70-year-old pensioner living at 137 Moses Kotane Road, said her electricity bill woes started in 2020 when her issued electricity bill was R150 000 for a household of four people. “I was shocked when my electricity statement was issued with a bill of R220 000 after I had been making consecutive payments of R1 000 on a monthly basis since 2020. I live with my late daughter’s children and I do not believe that we could use so much electricity. I first noticed there was something irregular in March 2020 and then I went to Jelf Taylor Crescent, where the Electricity Department offices are based, to query the exorbitant bill. They then told me that I should go to the Electricity Department offices at the Martin West Building to have it rectified,” said Govender.
She said when she arrived at the offices she was told that the meter readers sometimes have a problem accessing her meter box as there was no one to open the gate for them to get to the meter box. “I did not get any help from them too.The following month the same thing happened, the bill was R8 000 more and after being sent from pillar to post, I went back to Jelf Taylor and the woman I met there told me she would be sending someone to go have my meter box checked. Upon arrival to my meter, they found that there was no meter and when I queried with my landlord he said he was unaware. I was then told that my meter was taken out because it had blown, which was very strange as no one had notified me. I was also confused by the fact that the meter number on the billing statement is different from the one on the meter box, which could be the cause of the incorrect billing,” she said.
Govender said that on Monday, 30 January, technicians went to her house to disconnect her electricity as she is owing a large amount of money. “Six people were at my meter to disconnect my electricity. Immediately when they told me what they were doing, I went back to the Jelf Taylor office and was adamant that the billing matter is sorted and my electricity is restored. The lady who assisted me said I should wait and half an hour later she came back and told me that it was an error on their system and it would be rectified. She told me that my electricity will take between two to six hours to be restored,” Govender said She said her biggest concern at that time was her groceries in the fridge and staying with her grandchildren in the dark, especially since one of them is in university and needs to study. “My electricity was reconnected but the huge amount on the bill has not yet been rectified. I am pleading with the Electricity Department to have this issue rectified as it is stressing me,” she said. EThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela had not responded to queries sent by the Springfield Weekly Gazette by the time of going to print.
