Councillor Funzela Ngobeni joined the interdepartmental task team under the operation 'Buya Mthetho'. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi African News Agency (ANA) Councillor Funzela Ngobeni joined the interdepartmental task team under the operation 'Buya Mthetho'. Picture: Simphiwe Mbokazi African News Agency (ANA)
Johannesburg - A petrol station in Rivonia, Sandton, was this week bust for illegally connecting the water supply while owing the city R13 million in arrears.
Member of the mayoral committee (MMC) for finance, Funzela Ngobeni, joined an Operation Buya Mthetho blitz in Sandton, where the intentional fraudulent actions were uncovered.
The interdepartmental operation, which, among others, aims to bring to book business property owners who continue to flout their obligations to pay their municipal debt. The city said the property owner not only owes millions in arrears but he also illegally connected the said property to a makeshift water connection nearby.
Ngobeni said the filling station was served with a pre-termination notice on August 21 this year and full water restrictions were implemented last week. During the cut-off process, a city official was allegedly offered a R500 000 bribe to restore the water.
“Our follow-up investigation found that the filling station continued to operate despite the water cut, which has led the city to take a decision to effect the removal of the infrastructure supplying water to the filling station,” said Ngobeni.
The operation follows last month's disconnection at the Sandton Gautrain Station, following extensive efforts to get the landlord, Cedar Park Properties 39 Pty (Ltd), to pay its R8 million debt owed to the city for water, refuse, sewerage and property rates.
A case was opened against the city by the Gauteng provincial government and Bombela Concession Company. However, the city and the owners of the Gautrain reached an out-of-court settlement.
“The city has agreed to provide the Sandton Gautrain station with its own water meter which will result in the city billing Gautrain directly for its water usage.
"We have agreed to install this new meter within two days of the Bombela Concession Company paying the City R120 000 for the water connection,” said city mayor Herman Mashaba.