The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has refuted a recent statement by the Democratic Alliance (DA), which slammed the City’s new debt collection strategy that will see revenue officers join the metro police (JMPD) during roadblocks to find and serve residents with outstanding municipal debts.
“In its statement, the DA alleges that the City intends to utilize the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) for the collection of municipal service debts at roadblocks,” said the CoJ.
This, it contends, is not the case.
“Revenue collection efforts by the Group Finance officials will be joining certain roadblocks conducted by JMPD going forward, these finance officials will be equipped to engage with residents on outstanding fees,” said the City.
As such, neither the revenue nor the JMPD officers will be collecting any outstanding monies from residents at roadblocks, and no arrests will be actioned.
Rather, the financial officials will notify citizens of their unpaid accounts, provide them with a copy of their records, and assist in finding a solution to settle their debts.
They will also have the capability to:
- Help residents with queries on their accounts.
- Help residents enter into automated Acknowledgement of Debt (AoD) agreements
- Help with automated reconnection of services for disconnected residents who pay their bills or enter into an AoD
“Finance officials will be performing the above tasks, and not JMPD officers as alleged,” said the CoJ.
Bringing the service to residents
The CoJ’s new initiative is an attempt at bringing a service to its residents and forms part of a larger plan that aims to put an end to lawless behaviour within its jurisdiction.
“It is important to emphasise that revenue collection, for municipal services, is a collective effort from all units and departments within the City of Johannesburg,” said MMC for Finance, councilor Dada Morero.
“It is undertaken by revenue officials and the participation of JMPD officers is not out of the ordinary, as it involves curbing acts of lawlessness that are evidenced by illegal connections to the City’s services; and illegal reconnections by residents and businesses after disconnections have been undertaken by the City’s officials following credit control processes.”
The CoJ is therefore also planning to increase the capacity of the bylaw enforcement unit within the JMPD for addressing matters such as bylaw infringements, illegal connections and reconnections, and delivering notices, in order to improve revenue collection and consequently service delivery.
“In light of the increasing challenges faced by staff when collecting revenue, either from residents’ places of employment or residences, the multi-disciplinary Credit Control Teams, comprising the Revenue Department, City Power, and Joburg Water, will be bolstered by the presence of JMPD officers to ensure their safety while executing revenue collection duties,” said Morero.
“The undeniable reality is that, like other municipalities across the country, the City of Johannesburg relies on financial contributions from all its ratepayers to facilitate the construction, maintenance, expansion of infrastructure, and the continued provision of essential services. This objective is realized through a robust credit control approach.”
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