The recent Budget, Treasury and IDP (BTI) Portfolio committee meeting spoke of a new Debt Collection Agent to assist in the issue of the high “uncollectable” debt and a new service to send municipal accounts.
The recent Budget, Treasury and IDP (BTI) Portfolio committee meeting spoke of a new Debt Collection Agent to assist in the issue of the high “uncollectable” debt and a new service to send municipal accounts.
At the meeting, Chief Financial Officer made an announcement that payments will now be sent via email. “We are moving.We can now email municipal accounts,” he said.
This was followed by a discussion of the “uncollectable” arrear debt from rate payers amounting to just above R2-million.
This item was tabled in the previous BTI Portfolio committee where the recommendation was made for the council to approve the writing off of “uncollectable” arrear debt.
The council has then resolved in the approval of writing off this arrear debt on arrear municipal accounts. Councillor Thandeka Veliti said that this should be treated as a learning curve.
“This is a lot of money that is going down the drain” she said and insists this must not occur again. “I agree with your sentiments, but it may happen again as people open accounts and disappear.
But now we will appoint a Debt Collection Agent and tenders were advertised not long ago”. Councillor Julia Wells said she would an explanation as to why it was not collected and why services were delivered even if the account was high.
“I understand Councillor Veliti’s concern and understand the CFO’s explanation of people leaving the country and death,” she said, but she can’t understand why the accounts remain unpaid.
The Council also approved the writing off of arrear grazing fees of about R53 000 owed by emerging stock owners in Riebeeck East.
It was also approved that a grazing fee policy for emerging farmers in the Makana area be developed in the first quarter of this financial year.
Ngcelwane said that the policy to be developed is under Councillor Wells’ [Social Services, Community Empowerment and Protection Services Portfolio] committee and it will be the same fee for emerging farmers across Makana Municipality.
