By By Palesa Nguqu
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane has condemned the continued double billing of the city’s cleansing levy, accusing the municipality and Mayor Nasiphi Moya of failing to reverse the unlawful charges.
DA Finance spokesperson Jacqui Uys said that despite repeated assurances from the City of Tshwane that the issue would be corrected, thousands of sectional title property owners continue to be billed illegally.
“The amounts being charged to these residents are totally unlawful,” Uys said, adding that the metro had publicly admitted the mistake and promised to rectify it — yet the double billing has persisted,” she said.
“Numerous properties have once again been billed unlawfully. Countless residents and body corporates have filed refund requests with no response — not even an automated acknowledgment.”
According to Uys, many residents paid the cleansing levy on the understanding that it would later be reversed and credited to their accounts.
“Instead, they were billed again,” she added.
She noted that despite a reporting mechanism being set up with officials to resolve the problem, no progress had been made a month later.
“The problem appears to be more deeply rooted than initially communicated,” Uys said.
“The DA, as the official opposition, has submitted a list of affected complexes to the City Manager. These accounts must be credited immediately to rectify this billing illegality. While this matter is pending, no credit control actions should be taken.”
Uys called on Moya to put in place urgent measures to reverse the unlawful charges, warning that the DA would escalate the issue directly to the mayor’s office if no action was taken.
“This is a cataclysmic failure by the administration and Mayor Moya, who previously indicated that the matter would be resolved,” Uys said, warning that some residents were considering boycotting payments until refunds were processed.
Uys further urged the mayor to clean up what she described as a worsening billing crisis.
“If officials assigned to fix this issue cannot resolve it, then the mayor’s office must intervene as promised,” she said.
The DA vowed to hold the municipality accountable and protect residents from wrongful charges and administrative negligence.
“Until meaningful action is taken, the billing crisis will remain a stark reminder of the importance of good governance at the local level,” Uys said.
INSIDE METROS