The eThekwini Municipality stated that the high electricity bill of R2,7 million that a Reservoir Hills doctor received in April 2025 was due to an incorrect meter reading that was submitted.
Doctor Terence Govender said his average monthly bill was R8,500 and was left bemused by his latest bill. For March, Govender was billed R2,7 million in total. His bill for April totaled R91,000.
This included water of R1,680, electricity of R55,000, cleansing and solid waste of R256, interest on arrears of R23,641, and VAT of R8,636. The total bill for March and April amounted to R2,8 million.
eThekwini Municipality’s Spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana, said they have noted the recent inquiry regarding an unusually high electricity bill reflected on a customer’s account.
The municipality stated that it wanted to provide clarity on the issue after investigating the matter. According to the municipality, the circumstances that led to this situation were:
- The cause of the high bill was an incorrect reading submitted to e-services by the customer.
- On March 25, 2025, the customer submitted a meter reading through the municipality’s e-services platform. The reading submitted was 20,364, which has fewer digits than the 6-digit reading, which ought to have been submitted.
- The municipality has also been advocating for customers to submit their readings on e-services as an alternative and appreciate the use of it.
- Subsequently, a routine meter reading was conducted on May 6, 2025, by municipal staff and captured the correct reading of 204,020 units. However, this reading is currently pending final billing, and in the next billing, the adjustment of the R2m will be corrected.
Sisilana said the municipality acknowledges the inconvenience this has caused and wishes to reassure both the customer and the public that this matter is receiving urgent attention.
“The customer will be contacted and will be educated on how to read their meter and submit on e-services. However, all necessary adjustments have been made already and will reflect actual consumption and correct the billing anomaly in the next bill of June 2025,” Sisilana said.
She said that if residents have queries, the municipality’s Revenue Management Unit (RMU) remains available for direct engagement.
Krisendra Bisetty of Bisetty Attorneys said he is handling approximately 60 cases of high bills in eThekwini.
“I also have a client who owns a petrol station in Westville who has a R1,5m bill. I recently got a Sydenham woman’s R1,5m water bill reversed in two days. She tried for two years without success,” Bisetty stated.
In January 2025, a Tongaat homeowner, Arumoogum “Reggie” Pillay, won his case at the Durban Regional Court after being billed approximately R322,900.
Ish Prahladh, chairperson of the eThekwini Residents and Ratepayers Association (ERRA), said residents throughout the municipality were also experiencing similar challenges.
Asad Gaffar, eThekwini Ratepayers Protest Movement (ERPM), said there is also no clear political will to change the management of the city and the department to address this serious crisis.
“The city has put its citizens into a predicament, and quite frankly, they simply just don’t care. It is about time that the residents and ratepayers of eThekwini unite and stand united in a defiance campaign against this city,” Gaffar said.
