Makana Municipality has adopted a strategy to collect its bills as part of its broader programme to deal with the financial crisis.
Makana Municipality has adopted a strategy to collect its bills as part of its broader programme to deal with the financial crisis.
The Revenue Enhancement Strategy, tabled at a special council meeting 29 August and later adopted, identified five critical elements in its plan as communication, the provision of metered services, accurate billing and revenue collection and a revenue enhancement implementation process.
The strategy, outlined in a document in Grocott's Mails possession, lists as its number one priority better communication between the municipality and its customers.
The second point aims at increasing the efficiency of service delivery and reducing waste and theft of water and electricity More accurate billing is the third point in the strategy.
The fourth point focuses on revenue collection and includes better differentiating between who can and who can't pay and implementing free basic services for the indigent.
The strategy, in its final stages during the meeting, will be phased in over an undefined time period.
It call for professional service providers with vast experience to assist in improving on revenue collection in terms of development systems and mechanisms due to the fact that the municipality has been unable to collect debt from those who owe them in recent years.
Earlier this month, Mayor Zamuxolo Peter and Pamela Tshwete, the deputy minister for water and sanitation, highlighted unreadable meters, billing and debt collection as a major cause of low revenue as customers were being underbilled.
The Eastern Cape Department of Provincial Local Government and Traditional affairs gave the municipality R500 000 for revenue enhancement this financial year.
Council recommended the revenue be used to appoint debt collectors.
Municipal spokesperson Yoliswa Ramkolo repeatedly refused to comment about the progress of the strategy and what had been done so far with the R500 000.
