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Repeal of arrears policy shocks older residents, but municipalities owe R991million
It appears that elderly residents are being targeted to increase municipal revenues while ministries owe eThekwini Municipality millions.
This was revealed when Gary Burke, son of world dance legend from Durban, Paddy Chelin, 98, said she had received a huge bill totaling R 177,000 for a deferral account of rate, after deferral agreements were canceled by the municipality as of July.
The decision has plunged many eThekwini retirees into despair as they have been given accounts for huge amounts that they are unable to pay. A rate deferral account is separate from the current rate account, which must also be paid.
The rate deferral facility allowed retirees who were struggling to pay their rates to defer payments until their death. Amounts due would be settled by the retiree’s estate.
It is undergoing an annual review and this year the municipality said in an April letter to affected retirees that the policy had been reviewed in light of the repeal of the legislation.
Also in April, it emerged that ministries owed R991 million for tariffs and services to eThekwini Municipality (rate of R658 million and services R332 million).
This was revealed in a response from the Provincial Treasury Department to DA parliamentary questions on unpaid amounts owed by government departments to KZN municipalities.
The total debt owed to KwaZulu-Natal municipalities by government departments stood at R 2.4 billion as of April 2021.
At the time of going to press, the municipality had not responded to a request for comment on the current amounts owed by government departments to the city, or whether steps to collect the unpaid amounts had been initiated, or whether any amounts owed. had been recovered.
Burke said her mother, who turns 99 on October 10, was unaware of the city’s huge demand because it would be too painful for her. As a caregiver, he was in communication with the municipality, his main concern being the disconnection of services because his mother relies on a nebulizer.
When his father, former jockey Teddy Burke, died in 2003, the rate account was transferred to his mother who was told that the rates would not become due until her death or when title to the property was passed. transferred.
Burke, 70, who receives a Sassa pension (like his mother), said he received the municipal letter in April regarding the cancellation of the rate deferral agreement. In July, they received an account in the unpaid amount of Rand 177,000.
“If they shut down our services and we don’t have light or water, my mother will surely die. We have no other family or friends and we have nowhere to go.
“It puts a strain on our mental and physical health. We are also still recovering from Covid, for which we tested positive in July, â€said Burke from his home in Umbilo.
In numerous emails between Burke and the municipality since April and which IOS saw, Burke sent a proposal on September 13 to pay the arrears amount, which the Revenue Management Unit said would be taken into account, a possible disconnection being suspended until such an agreement can be finalized.
But on Thursday, hours after the IOS sent a query to the municipality regarding the fate of retirees over the rate deferral agreements, Burke received an email from the municipality informing him that his proposal had failed. been accepted.
He was told that conditions of 5% upfront (R 9,000) and the 60 month balance (R 2,800 per month) would apply, and he had until Tuesday, September 29 to respond.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said in a press release: “Please note that the customer has been in contact with the relevant department and has entered into a payment agreement. The two parties are amicable. We cannot disclose the payment plan to a third party as this is between us and the resident.
“We encourage those who wish to have clarification on their accounts to contact our Revenue Management department. “
Burke said neither he nor his mother had R9,000 to pay up front and to his knowledge no arrangement had been made.
After receiving the email from the municipality on Thursday, he said his stress level had increased significantly. He turned to crowdfunding sites to try to raise funds.
Those in the dance industry have described Paddy Chelin, affectionately known as “Miss Paddy†by thousands of young dancers over the years, as a legendary figure in the dance world.
Dance teacher Candice York, who has trained with Chelin for 25 years, said Miss Paddy has trained top dancers who have performed on stages around the world.
“The fruits of her labor have seen dancers and dance teachers working all over the world, where she has staged the South African brand and Durban. She was a dance devotee and taught all disciplines including ballet, tap and jazz. We spent our life in the studio and she was an inspiration to so many dancers when she was teaching, â€said York.
Retired dancer and dance teacher Sandra Rosenberg, who trained as a dancer in Durban as a teenager, said: “Paddy Chelin was the most dedicated and lovable teacher of human beings, yet so creative. in his studio. In the dance world she is a legend, she produced so many great dancers and teachers, a very special lady.
“In October she’s going to be 99, please God show her her century, she doesn’t deserve any problem at this point in her life,†Rosenberg said.
The independent on Saturday
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