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TSHWANE. – The amnesty period for illegal infrastructure connections in Tshwane, South Africa, is now over, which means that transgressors face fines of up to R10 million.
Finance MMC in the City of Tshwane, Peter Sutton, said the amnesty period was implemented in August and September 2022. Its purpose was to assist residents and business owners who were guilty of:
- Illegally connecting to the electricity and/or water network;
- Tampering with electricity and/or water meters, resulting in incorrect or lower consumption readings;
- Illegally reconnecting electricity and/or water meters after a credit control disconnection;
- Paying bribes to remove outstanding amounts on accounts or paying bribes to illegally open new municipal accounts without following official processes; and
- Paying bribes to have electricity and/or water meters bypassed to record incorrect or lower consumption.
“Following the expiration of the two-month amnesty period, residents are reminded that fines for illegal connections and electricity theft is R200 000 for individual and household accounts, and R10 million for business accounts.
“In addition to these fines, the City will also lay criminal charges and pursue recovery of lost income. A highly skilled multidisciplinary revenue-collection team has been established for this purpose,” the City warned. – News24.com
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