A court order was served on the Makhado Municipality on Tuesday afternoon to switch on the electricity supply of members of the Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association (SPRA).

Several ratepayers complained on Tuesday (23rd) that they had no electricity supply. Two of the ratepayers wrote affidavits and a court order was procured. It was served to four respondents, the acting municipal manager, Ms Ndou, the chief financial officer, Mr Hitler Maluleke, the head of the accounting department and the head of the electricity department. It is illegal to cut the power supply of ratepayers who withhold rates and taxes in accordance with the formal dispute declared with the municipality by the SPRA in August last year.

Every month ratepayers suffer from the illegal cutting off of electricity, but after a phone call from the SRPA the electricity supply is usually restored.

This month, however, the power cuts seemed to be more widely spread. This time the power cuts are believed to be connected to a threatening letter that the SRPA received from the office of the MEC of Local Government and Housing, Mr Soviet Lekganyane, on November 20.

The letter acknowledged receipt of the memorandum of grievances that the community presented. The issues covered the lack of service delivery and the flawed process pertaining to the im-plementation of the Property Rates Act.

The letter refers to the meeting between the local government department and the ratepayers on September 15, and issues four resolutions.

“After analysing the information and all relevant facts presented to you at the meeting, I resolve that your Association: Firstly be requested to withdraw its proposed dispute with the Makhado Municipality as its allegations against the Municipality does(sic) not hold water and had no substance, and secondly be ordered in no uncertain terms to start paying the municipal property rates with immediate effect direct to the municipality’s fund as no alleged flaws in the monitoring and implementation of the Local Government Property Rates Act 2004 had been identified,” reads the letter from the MEC’s office

The third resolution advises the ratepayers to comply with all notices issued by the municipality relating to public participation meetings. The last resolution advises that the ratepayers submit all their complaints on service delivery issues through the locally elected recognised ward councillor. The Chairperson of the Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association, Mr Frans Prinsloo, said that it was clear from the letter that the MEC did not understand democratic principles and was now resorting to dictator-style commands. He says that the letter showed that the MEC was not well informed. The dispute had already been declared more than a year ago. Prior to the declaration of the dispute, the SPRA had engaged in numerous meetings with the municipality in an effort to resolve problems, but to no avail.

“We, the ratepayers, were shocked by the MEC’s letter. We would like to ask the following: Dear MEC, do you even understand the meaning of your own last sentence of your letter: Together we can do better?” Prinsloo asked.

By Tuesday evening the electricity of some ratepayers had not yet been restored.