Johannesburg - The City of Johannesburg has resolved half of the billing queries received from residents in the inner city, it said on Tuesday.
"Executive Mayor
Amos Masondo and his customer revenue Team (CRM) (were thanked) for helping to resolve half of the 500 outstanding queries residents had with their city accounts," city spokesperson Gaynor Mashamaite-Noyce said in a statement.
"At a meeting held with the Johannesburg Inner City Business Coalition (JCIBC) in early December it was agreed that all outstanding queries received up to December 10 would be prioritised and tackled," she said.
CRM spokesperson Stanley Maphologela said they dealt with all queries sent from the JCIBC for distribution and resolution.
Fifteen main issues were identified and categorised under revenue, rates and planning matters.
One issue concerned the incorrect cut-off of power and water.
"A process was set in place to expedite reconnections where engagement on queries had started. This process worked well and the number of emergency interventions have been reduced to nearly zero," Maphologela said.
Another issue which had not been addressed sufficiently was the conversion of commercial rates to residential rates where buildings had been converted.
"Other key billing issues were the exorbitant bills some people had received and some bills that made little sense," Mashamaite-Noyce said.
Maphologela said: "We have already made a lot of headway in addressing those top issues and we expect this process to be finished by the end of March."