There has been an increase in illegal disconnections by City Power and Joburg Water. The city’s by-laws state that they are not allowed to disconnect if:
1) there is an open reference number/query on the account 2) you are continuing to pay monthly fair usage while the issue is being resolved 3) pre-termination notice has to have been issued to the property.
These Illegal disconnections usually happen on a Friday when there is pressure to keep the water and lights on for the weekend. JPOMA has also found that these usually come with requests for bribes. Please note that JPOMA does not support the payment of bribes to anyone! If you are in a situation where you have been asked for a bribe, please gather as much information as possible and send it to Angela Rivers angela@jpoma.co.za to escalate to the MMC for Finance. Corruption is high on her priority list.
JPOMA recommends members do the following if faced with an illegal disconnection:
1) Interrogate the City’s contractor who is doing the illegal disconnection. Ask to see IDs, copies of the pre-termination notice and how they were delivered, copies of the disconnection card, name of the supervisor. In the past, this usually send them away, especially if they are after a bribe. 2) contact angela@jpoma.co.za immediately, with the account number, reference numbers and whatever information you have gathered above. 3) If the disconnection notice has anything to do with either JPOMA’s refuse or sewer class action, our attorneys will also write a letter, that will be added to our body of evidence.
It is important to note that when you receive a pre-termination notice on your account immediately log a call with CoJ or call to find out if your reference number has been closed.
JPOMA will be hosting a webinar on tech solutions available in the housing market.
The webinar will be looking specifically at metering and software solutions. If you have a supplier that you would like to recommend, please email Angela Rivers angela@jpoma.co.za the details.
Current Presenters: Unimet Metering Meter Mate Metering K.I.S.S Properties – Software Solutions (Final presenters and program to be confirmed.)
Date: 12 July 2022 Time: 10h00 – 12h00 Register HERE
Applications for City of Joburg Debt Rehabilitation close on 30 June 2022. The criteria for qualification changed, so if you applied in 2021 and were not successful, you are encouraged to apply again.
The following information was taken from City of Joburg LinkedIn page:
“The City has improved and amended the qualifying criteria for its Debt Rehabilitation program which was approved at a council meeting held on 26 April 2022. This amendment was in response to feedback received from CoJ customers who have been applying for the program since applications reopened on 1 March 2022 for the 3rd phase. Indebted ratepayers have until 30 June 2022 to apply for the amended debt rehabilitation program which is aimed at providing financial relief to qualifying property owners whose municipal accounts are in arrears.
DEBT REHABILITATION PROGRAM SUMMARY The amendments to the qualifying criteria are as follows:
1) Write-off is only applicable to the following account holders: • Residential account holders • Small business account holders • Faith-based organisation or places of worship • Non-Profit Organisation • Old Age Homes • Orphanages and Body Corporates
2) The property value must not exceed R2.5 million.
3) The account in arrears must not be more than 90 days at the time of submission of the application.
4) Applicants must be registered owners of the property, or a person dully appointed by the master of the high court where a property is part of a deceased estate.
5) For small businesses, places of worship and non-profit organisations to benefit provided gross revenue income is not more than R3 million per annum.
6) 100% of the 90-day debt will be written off if the applicant is a pensioner or registered as indigent on the City’s data base.
7) The combined gross income from all activities of the account holder/s and spouse must be less than R22 000 per month.
8) Monthly gross income is between R22 001 to R30 000, 30% debt will be written off.
9) Monthly gross income is between R30 001 to R40 000, 20% debt will be written off.
10)Monthly gross income is between R40 001 to R50 000, 10% debt will be written off.
11)All interest and penalty charges will be reversed for each of the income categories above.
12)Monthly gross income is above R50 000, no debt write off and only interest and penalty charges to be reversed.
13)Account must be kept update to date for twelve months from date of initial write off.
14)Ratepayers must pay current monthly consumption.
15)Metered services to be regularly inspected.
16)Smart meters to be installed.
17)Applications can be made online, via email (debtrehab@joburg.org.za) or at any of the City’s Customer Services Centres.
For more information on the revamped Debt Rehabilitation Programme, ratepayers can visit the City’s website www.joburg.org.za or visit any customer service centre.”
On 14 June 2022 CoJ sent out the following notice:
The City of Johannesburg hereby withdraws the Outdoor Advertising By-law Notice published in the Gauteng Provincial Gazette, the CoJ website and newspaper publications, respectively.
In terms of this withdrawal, the public and interested parties are no longer required to submit written public comments up until a new notice is issued, at a date still to be determined by Council. The public is also no longer required to attend the scheduled public participation sessions until further notice.
This notice of withdrawal will also be effected as per the Gauteng Provincial Gazette No. 157, published on 13 May 2022.
Withdrawal of the above notice is due to variations in by-law documentation published for inspection, publication dates in the newspapers as well as inconsistencies contained in Government Gazette No. 157.
The City of Johannesburg would like to render an apology to stakeholders and the public for any inconvenience caused by this cancellation.
