Not only is the ANC-led Tshwane Council failing the community concerning effective service delivery, but reports keep on surfacing of Council officials extorting money from residents, at times apparently even with the knowledge of Ward Councillor, Naeem Patel.
Just recently, the Laudium Sun was informed about ‘special’ charges implemented by Council officials, especially those working in the Electricity Department.
Claudius
This follows the lights of a Claudius home on Ganges Street, recently tripping after hours. Due to the owner entertaining guests at his house, the owner contacted Cllr Patel, for urgent assistance. However, it is believed that Naeem gave the owner the contact number of a Council technician and apparently also told the owner to pay the technician R12,000 for his services. Before the owner could call the said technician, a friend of the owner who heard the conversation told the owner that he too knew the technician and that he would call him. Following the conversation the technician agreed to charge R3,000 for coming out to re-connect the lights. To date, the owner remains suspicious as to why Naeem wanted him to pay R12,000 and whether Naeem was in fact getting a cut from the said technician.
Mariam
Laudium resident, Mariam Hoosen who previously complained about Cllr Naeem Patel acting unethically, concerning the proposed purchasing of her home, told the Laudium Sun, “After my husband and I exposed Cllr Patel in the Laudium Sun, for acting unethically, concerning the sale of our home to him, there was a guy from the Tshwane Council who came a few times to our house. He said that he wanted to come into our property, stating that he had information that we had apparently tampered with our water and prepaid electricity meters. I told him that I was not prepared to let him come inside the property while I was alone and that I would only allow him to come in when he had made prior arrangements, so that I could ensure that someone was with me, in case he tampered with the meters and then blamed us for it. So I just wanted a witness and besides I did not feel safe to open for him, while being alone at home. He then came again unannounced twice, but I did not let him in and since then he disappeared.”
Pensioner
In another matter, a pensioner, Rami Naidoo, from Umber Street, Laudium, complained about the problems he was facing with workers from the Electricity Department of the Tshwane Council or imposters pretending to be from the Department, but who had info concerning his utility account. Rami said that he was hounded by these ‘workers’ concerning an outstanding arrears account, despite him making arrangements with the Council to pay it off. According to Rami, the ‘workers’ had, in the recent past, disconnected his power three times and despite reaching out to Cllr Patel as Ward Councillor and other officials for assistance, he received no help. Feeling desperate, Rami said he has now approached the Laudium Sun out of desperation, hoping that someone from the community or the authorities reading about his plight will help sort out his problem, as he just wants to live in peace. Rami added, “I have been dealing with ongoing billing problems for months. Even though I have made arrangements to pay off my outstanding electricity account, Council workers or imposters pretending to be from the City of Tshwane, keep coming to my home demanding payment and threatening to cut my power. I am extremely worried because I do not know if these people are real Municipal employees or impostors trying to intimidate me. Recently, some people came to my property saying they were here to disconnect my electricity. I know that I am in arrears on my account; however, I have already made payment arrangements with the Laudium Municipal offices and they have been aware of my situation since earlier this year. Earlier in 2024, I went to the Laudium Municipal offices to request a formal payment plan after my electricity bill climbed to an amount I could not afford to pay in full. Being a pensioner, I explained my situation and the City officials agreed that I could pay R2,000 every month, until the arrears were cleared and my account was up to date. I thought this would finally bring some relief, but instead, the problems have only continued. Despite my arrangement, my electricity and water accounts seem to increase every month, even though I pay regularly. I understand that I owe money, but my concern is that the people coming to disconnect my power might not actually be from Tshwane or they could be from the Council but are not authorised to come to me. They appear suspicious and unofficial. I have even taken photos of them and their vehicle as evidence in case something goes wrong. The first incident occurred the previous month and the second incident on the afternoon of September 24. A group of men arrived at my property claiming they were from the Council and said they had come to disconnect the electricity. I was very angry and started shouting at them so they would leave. I told them I knew my rights and that I already had an arrangement with the Council. Eventually they left and the power stayed on. I made sure to take photos of them and their bakkie, which had no official City of Tshwane logo. Less than two weeks later, on October 5, three men returned. This time, they actually switched off the power. I went outside and saw them standing across the street. I shouted at them and took more photos. When I checked the meter box, I saw that they had manually switched it off, so I turned it back on. I even left a note inside the box saying that if they came again, they must contact me first so I could explain my account situation. I do not feel safe with people just entering my property and disconnecting essential services without notice. I have tried every possible channel to get help. I contacted the local councillors from both the DA and ANC, shared the issue on a community WhatsApp group, and personally visited the Municipal offices several times. I explained my situation and asked for intervention, but nothing has been done. Councillor Novina Pillay from the DA tried to help and said the matter had been escalated, but because the jurisdiction in Laudium falls under an ANC Councillor, no further action could be taken. I first went to the Council as far back as April or May to explain that my account was too high and that I could not afford the lump sum, but no one ever came back to me with a proper response. My main concern is safety — both financial and personal. I am a senior citizen and I work from home. I cannot continue to feel anxious every time I hear a vehicle outside my gate, wondering if it is another attempt to cut my electricity. These people just arrive, go straight to the meter box and switch off the power. That is not how real Municipal workers are supposed to operate. I am deeply worried that these individuals may be posing as City of Tshwane employees to extort money from vulnerable residents like me. I am calling on the authorities to investigate this matter urgently. I want them to identify these people and their vehicles and verify whether they are genuinely linked to the Tshwane billing department. If nothing is done, I will take further steps to protect myself and my property. I also want to warn other residents in the area to be cautious. Always ask for official identification from anyone claiming to represent the Municipality. Living in constant fear is not how anyone should have to live, especially not a senior citizen.”
Melvin
Melvin Singh, another resident of Umber Street, Laudium, told the Laudium Sun that he has been facing a similar problem as that of his neighbour Rami Naidoo. Melvin expressed deep concern over what he described as a growing pattern of fraudulent activity, involving people pretending to be officials from the City of Tshwane. “We have also experienced the same issue that Rami is going through,” Melvin said. “There are many fake City of Tshwane workers who are going around Laudium pretending to be officials from the Municipality, or those who are genuinely from the Council but are at our door to extort money from us. They come to our homes, threaten to disconnect our electricity, and demand money. This has become a serious problem in our area. These individuals appear without any official notice or documentation and often arrive in unmarked vehicles, which raises suspicion. They don’t
wear uniforms, they don’t have ID cards and they just show up saying they are here from Tshwane. They switch off our lights and then tell us to pay them to reconnect. This is not how real officials should operate. My biggest concern is that if these guys are impostors, then how do they have access to residents’ personal and billing information. Who is giving them all our data? There must be a loophole inside the City Council offices in Laudium. I believe this is not just random people coming all of a sudden to our doors. This looks like a bigger syndicate operating behind the scenes. There could be deeper connections and possible political involvement.”
