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In a display of empathy and commitment to the community, the Kouga Council has declared a three-month amnesty period for the payment of exorbitant water accounts – addressing the current water billing challenges, while offering residents a lifeline by providing a clean start.
The amnesty period, offering residents the opportunity to minimise or clear their water debts, will run from November 1 to January 31, 2024 and will only apply to high water accounts prior to this time.
Kouga executive mayor, Hattingh Bornman, said that the driving force behind this decision includes prolonged meter readings, water leaks, estimated billing, and billing with a 60-day delay. These factors collectively led to “increased” water usage and subsequently elevated water accounts.
“These factors have been identified through various data cleansing processes that have been implemented, as well as further internal controls being introduced to ensure that consumption of water is accurate and billed correctly,” said Bornman.
“The implementation of the data cleansing processes has significantly impacted residents’ accounts, leading to concerns about the accuracy of these accounts. This, in turn, has had significant repercussions on revenue generation, collection rates, and the balance of outstanding debts.
How it works
For all amnesty applications, residents must submit a completed amnesty application form and their meter readings, together with supporting evidence thereof. For water leaks, a plumbing report stating that the leak has been fixed must also be submitted.
The actual readings will be considered, correct calculations will be performed, and the resident will be billed at the reduced tariff of the average monthly consumption for a maximum period of three months.
In the case of a water leak, a full write-off of charges will be contemplated, and residents will only be billed for their average monthly consumption.
The resident’s account will then be current, accurate and deemed correct.
It is important to note that each case will be dealt with on merit and the municipality remains the final decision-maker.
“As a caring municipality, we understand the challenges faced by our residents, and have therefore made the decision to write off qualifying residents’ water debt to ease their burdens and ensure access to this essential resource,” said Bornman.
“The welfare of our residents is of paramount importance and the approved amnesty period is driven by a genuine desire to ease their financial burdens.
