By Anita Dangazele
- Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality says all qualifying residents will receive refunds, rebates or free electricity, following a court order.
- The refunds relate to a flat electricity rate the metro was forced to scrap after the DA took it to court, most refunds are expected in September.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality says every resident who qualifies for an electricity refund, rebate or free electricity will get it, after weeks of complaints from residents who felt left out of the process.
The issue goes back to July, when the metro replaced its old sliding-scale electricity pricing with a flat rate of around R4.50 per unit. Under the old system, called the Inclining Block Tariff, households paid a lower rate, R3.80 per unit, for their first 300 units of electricity each month, then a higher rate after that. The new flat rate meant many households, especially those using less electricity, ended up paying more.
The DA took the metro to court over the change, arguing it hit households hard without being properly explained to the public beforehand. In August, the Gqeberha High Court ordered the municipality to bring back the old system and repay residents for whatever extra they’d paid since 1 July.
Since then, the rollout has been rocky. Residents have reported being charged different rates depending on where they bought electricity, and some have said they’ve received nothing at all while friends and neighbours got refunds or free electricity tokens.
In its latest statement, the municipality says it hasn’t forgotten anyone. It says its own billing and electricity vending systems already show exactly who is owed money, so residents don’t need to apply or submit any claim, refunds will be worked out and paid automatically. The delays, it says, come down to different payment platforms and vending outlets coming online for refunds at different times, not because some residents have been left out.
The municipality expects most of the outstanding refunds to be paid out during September, once the remaining technical work is finished. It has asked residents who haven’t yet received a refund to be patient, saying they remain part of the process.
Pictured above: The Nelson Mandela Bay has promised to refund all residents who were overcharged since 01 July.
Image source: File
