Is it only the poorer residents who won’t be charged the network and service charges? I would like to know if this is the case as I have been charged these fees since last year but have only picked up on it now that I have studied my account. I think this is absolutely ridiculous that we should be charged these charges to be “connected to the grid” as they state on their website, when this is why we pay Rates and Taxes! Never in the past did we have to pay any extra charges.
Furthermore, sewerage, which used to be the cheapest charge, is now just under R500 a month! Pikitup is R253 per month – I will take my own rubbish away because half the time they are on strike but we still pay. Then on my IT water bill I get charged a Demand Management Levy – what on earth for? Again, this is why we pay rates and taxes. It may only be R22 plus VAT but everyone in the country pays it, and it adds up to quite a bit.
My usage for electricity and water is under R1 000. My rates and taxes are R870 per month. My account was always R1 500 to R2 000 per month maximum, including everything. Now with all these extra charges and sewerage increasing so much, I am paying R3 200 a month to line the council’s pockets. I am sorry but this is unacceptable. Have they not looked at their books and realised this is why so many people are behind on their accounts and can’t afford to pay? It’s definitely not the usage and the increased tariffs on electricity; it certainly is the increased supplementary charges that the City of Johannesburg, not Eskom, is charging.
