The DA in Merafong is being inundated with complaints from residents about outrageous municipal accounts received this week. The DA has seen accounts where the municipality is billing a household for electricity in the amount of R260 000 for a single month. Many longstanding and loyal ratepayers are now receiving claims for outstanding debt that they have never seen before. Rates and charges have also gone up. Our attempts to get answers from the CFO have been mixed. According to Ald Johan Zwart, the CFO seems unclear on how to resolve incorrect billing amounts and laments that the electricity and water departments of the municipality refuses to cooperate with her office. It is clear that the merge of BIQ data with the new system is being badly botched. Even addresses that appear on accounts are nonsensical and not locatable on a map. The DA is committed to addressing these concerns and ensuring that the municipality provides accurate and transparent billing to its residents. The party is actively engaging with the municipality to resolve the billing issues and ensure that residents are not unfairly burdened by incorrect charges. The DA will be meeting with the Municipal Manager on Monday, 13 April, and will be providing feedback to the Merafong community. Additionally, we are keeping our legal team informed, should further action be warranted Residents are urged to take the following steps while we resolve this issue: - Keep a record of all the payments you have made since December 2023, and keep a record of the municipal statements you have received. - In order to gauge the scope of the problem and get data, you are invited to register your complaint here. (https://bit.ly/4adLETY) As the municipality continues to navigate the transition to the new billing system, it is crucial that they prioritise transparency, communication, and accuracy in their dealings with residents. The DA remains committed to advocating for the rights and interests of the residents of Merafong and will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide feedback to affected residents. Ina Cilliers MPL