The City of Tshwane has maintained that it reconfigured its billing system to rectify the erroneous R194 cleansing levy charged to around 12,000 customers in September amid threats by disgruntled residents to boycott payments until they received refunds.

The cleansing levy, which applies to property owners using private waste collection services, was declared invalid by the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria on August 1, 2025 following a legal challenge by AfriForum. The city has since lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Obakeng Ramabodu, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Environment & Agriculture Management, said progress has been made in rectifying the billing system error that led to incorrect cleansing charges on some municipal accounts.

He said following the discovery of the billing anomaly, the city swiftly established a dedicated task team comprising technical and finance experts to correct the issue.

“To date, the billing system has been successfully reconfigured to ensure that the cleansing charges are applied only to qualifying accounts, specifically those that do not receive municipal waste collection,” he said.

The DA’s finance spokesperson, Jacqui Uys, disputed the city’s stance, claiming that despite promises to reverse waste levy charges for thousands of sectional title holders, the city has failed to do so.

“Let us be clear, the amounts that are being charged to these residents are totally unlawful. Even more so, the Tshwane Metro publicly admitted they had made a mistake and would rectify it. Instead, countless properties have been charged with these unlawful amounts once again,” she said.

She claimed that despite a reporting mechanism being put in place to rectify the issue, waste levy charges continue to plague sectional title holders. 

Uys expressed frustration that a month after the agreement, no progress has been made.

“Countless residents and body corporates filed their requests for refunds with officials, none of which were even responded to. Not even a courtesy of a reply or automated reference number. Worse still, thousands of residents paid these charges on the basis they would be reversed and credited to their accounts. Instead, they have been billed again,” she said.

She called on Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya to take immediate action to reverse the unlawful waste levy charges and resolve the billing crisis. 

“In the absence of this, the DA will have no choice but to direct residents to file the disputes on their accounts directly with the mayor’s office. If the officials who were assigned these responsibilities cannot resolve this matter, then the mayor’s office can start doing it instead as was promised,” she said.

Ramabodu said corrective action is well underway, with all affected accounts updated to stop the erroneous billing and to process appropriate reversals.

He reiterated that customers who have already paid the cleansing charge will receive credits on their accounts, instead of cash refunds.

“These credits are implemented progressively and will be reflected in the October and November 2025 billing statements. The city emphasises that each adjustment is being individually verified to ensure accuracy and fairness,” he said.

He said the city will issue clear communication to customers, guiding them on how to verify the corrections on their statements once the reversals are finalised.

“The City of Tshwane acknowledges the inconvenience and frustration caused by this error and extends sincere apologies to affected customers. In addition, internal control reviews are being intensified to prevent similar occurrences in the future. By acting promptly, transparently, and in accordance with the law, the City of Tshwane reaffirms its commitment to sound governance, responsible financial management, and reliable service delivery to all residents,” Ramabodu said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

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