Tshwane to write off R600m in outstanding water bills owed by Hammanskraal residents
Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise made the announcement during a meeting with Parliament's portfolio committee on cooperative governance on Wednesday.
A resident collects water in Hammanskraal. Picture: AFP/ Michele Spatari
JOHANNESBURG - The City of Tshwane is set to launch a programme to write off over R600 million in historical debt owed by Hammanskraal residents.
Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise made the announcement during a meeting with Parliament's portfolio committee on cooperative governance on Wednesday.
The initiative will scrap outstanding water bills for households with long-overdue payments in the Pretoria North township.
READ:Tender process delay sees Hammanskraal residents' wait for clean water continue
Hammanskraal residents have been relying on tankers for several years due to the poor quality of water flowing from their taps.
The primary reason for the lack of clean drinking water is delays in upgrading the Rooiwal wastewater treatment plant.
As a result, households have refused to pay the city for water services, given its failure to supply potable water.
Tshwane Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise said it was only fair for the city to write off the debt.
"We had done a disservice to the people of Hammanskraal because of the cholera update but in the process, the city was billing those residents. We have resolved as the Mayco that we are going to write off that debt."
Last year, a cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal, caused by poor water quality, resulted in the deaths of over 30 people.