Johannesburg residents, who have been plagued by ridiculously high bills, will have to wait about two years before their problems are resolved, according to the city's mayor.
However, both the ruling party and the official opposition say this is far too long, as the mess will deter foreign investment.
The city has come under fire recently, as residents complain about hugely inflated bills, some of which run into millions of rands, and people who are unable to get their statements rectified are being cut off.
This week, the situation worsened when staff at Joburg Connect went on a go-slow and deliberately did not answer phones, because of their frustrations at not being able to assist angry residents.
However, Johannesburg mayor Amos Masondo has played down the problem affecting the city's account-holders and, while admitting there were “challenges” with the billing system, said this was limited to 8% of the million statements that are being sent out.
The root of the problem is the city's migration away from disparate and legacy billing systems onto a SAP platform, under a project called Phakama. So far, this has cost Johannesburg taxpayers R580 million.
Yesterday, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) convened a press briefing to address concerns around the billing situation. Masondo reportedly said it could take between a year and two years before the current problems were resolved.
ANC provincial secretary David Makhura said during the conference that the issue is concerning, as the billing mess could affect future foreign investment into the city.
However, Kekana says this is not a satisfactory time frame, and the ANC will pressure the city to solve the problem. “One year is far too long; we need to be impatient and ensure the system is flawless.” Kekana says this applies to all parts of the billing value chain, from meter readings to invoicing.
Kekana says the problem seems to come down to human error, as data is being incorrectly captured. He says the ANC has asked about whether the necessary level of training has taken place, but is awaiting an answer.
Bigger problem
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says decisive action must be taken now. The city's billing crisis has come at an inopportune time for the ruling party - as local government elections are set to be held in the next few months and voter registration kicks off tomorrow.
DA caucus leader Vasco da Gama says the mayor's statement, that the situation would be fixed in two years, indicates the problem is larger than negligent staff. Last week, Masondo attributed issues with billing to a few system problems, but said some staff had negligently approved posting of grossly inflated bills.
City officials previously indicated the matter will take between six and 12 months to fix, points out Da Gama. He says this indicates there is a much bigger problem which is affecting all parts of the city.
Da Gama says fixing the mess will now cost residents more. “I think we are just going backwards... something big went wrong.”
The city must admit data has gone missing, as this is the only explanation for incorrect addresses and wrong meter numbers on bills, says Da Gama. He says people stand in long queues at council offices for hours on end and rarely have their problems resolved.
The consequences for the economy are huge, says Da Gama. He points out that Johannesburg has long-term debt worth R15 billion and a short-term facility worth R3.5 billion.
Da Gama says the current issue plaguing the billing system could see the city's rating negatively affected, which would harm new investment in the area. Johannesburg is SA's economic hub, generating 17% of the country's wealth.
“The ANC has pulled a fast one here, and it's going to cost the city.” Da Gama says Masondo should step down, and fresh eyes are needed to fix the problem.
Despite Masondo's surprise visit to the call centre this week, and promises to keep monitoring the situation, Joburg Connect still seems to be on a go-slow. This morning, ITWeb was yet again unable to get through; spending 18 minutes on hold, before the call went through to an automated message.
The city said it was not in a position to comment this morning.
Share
