PRETORIA – The Department of International Relations and Cooperation (Dirco) says it has noted with concern some media reports stating that it, together with foreign missions in South Africa and other government departments, owe the City of Tshwane billions of rand due to unpaid electricity accounts.
Dirco spokesperson Clayson Monyela said the remarks have been made despite several attempts to reach out to the City of Tshwane, urging the municipality to provide copies of these outstanding invoices seemingly owed by Dirco and the diplomatic missions.
“The City of Tshwane responded in writing on Monday, 7 February 2022, confirming that the Dirco accounts to the city are current and up-to-date, with no outstanding payments,” Monyela said.
He said Dirco has also been liaising with the City of Tshwane continuously, requesting the municipality to refer any outstanding payments by foreign missions to the government department so that the diplomatic missions can be engaged.
“In several cases, disputes were lodged but despite the accounts being disputed and proof of payment having been sent to the City of Tshwane, the municipality has nevertheless gone ahead and disconnected power erroneously,” Monyela said.
He said in some instances, foreign missions are in arrears but have made the necessary arrangements to settle their accounts.
“Dirco has requested the City of Tshwane to retract the various media statements that cast aspersions on Dirco as well as foreign missions which fall under the Diplomatic Immunities and Privileges Act, No 37 of 2001,” Monyela said.
“Dirco has also requested meetings with the City of Tshwane to discuss the above statements and the perceptions that are being created that Dirco and foreign missions have outstanding debt but has not been able to secure a meeting with the executive mayor (Randall Williams) and the MMC for finance to discuss the matter.”
This week, Williams and acting city manager Mmaseabata Mutlaneng are leading an aggressive campaign to disconnect water and electricity supply to businesses, foreign missions and government departments.
Williams pushed back as business managers tried to plead with him to allow them to continue operating with the lights on and stated that the culture of non-payment in Tshwane has created an unsustainable problem and a ballooning debt of R17 billion owed to the city.
Williams said it was not acceptable that business and government departments were making sporadic payments but continuing to consume more than they pay on a monthly basis.
He said the city owed Eskom (R635 million in arrears) but the city was paying its suppliers like Rand Water and Magalies Water irrespective of hardships. However, it was not making the money back because businesses were holding R5bn due to the city.
Uninterested in a blow-by-blow exchange with Sheraton Hotel manager, Pascal Fouquet, who pleaded for leniency for the hotel owing the city R23m for water, electricity and rates, Williams said he was acting on behalf of the city and its residents who needed service delivery.
Fouquet said: “The last two years we have not been making money because of Covid-19. We tried to make arrangements with the city but what they want we cannot afford to pay. If you do this then what happens to the people who need their jobs?”
Williams said businesses around the world have endured the strain of Covid-19 and so did the municipalities but they adjusted and found other ways to manage their businesses. He said residents of Tshwane have been complaining that service delivery was down.
He said businesses, embassies and government departments must learn to best run their businesses without expecting the city to subsidise them. He said it could not be right that the hotel consumes R1m in services a month but wants to pay R300 000 and occasionally make a larger payment.
Speaking to the media, Williams said: "We are obligated, in terms of the municipal legislation, to recover money due to the city. It is not something we can do voluntarily. We have been doing it for some time but now we are escalating it to turn it into operations and become more visibly active so that people can see that.
“Businesses in the city owe us more than R5bn. Residents owe more than R8bn and if you look at government departments and embassies, they owe us more than R1.3bn. We are going after all our debtors because they have an obligation to pay. You cannot consume for free.”
IOL