Ratanda- Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Richard Baloyi, has appealed to residents of Ratanda, outside Heidelberg, to allow stability to return to the area.
The township, situated east of Johannesburg, was engulfed by violent protests from March 19 to March 24. Residents were protesting against the Lesedi Municipality's electricity prices, the billing system and power cut-offs.
The residents did not only block roads with burning tyres, but also burned down a Multi-Purpose Centre.
Addressing residents on Sunday at the "Ratanda: Way Forward" feedback session, Minister Baloyi said: "Give peace a chance. Let's work together going forward. Our involvement does not end here as we will continue to work with you and your municipality."
Baloyi also gave a progress report on investigations that have been done by the Inter-Sphere Task Team to restore public order.
According to the Minister, of the primary demands that were at the centre of the dissatisfaction by residents through the Ratanda Community Forum (RCF) was electricity.
Residents complained that the municipality electricity rates were high and they were determined without consultation.
They felt that they would be better served if they were to have electricity directly distributed by Eskom instead of the municipality.
The task team also found that the combination of all the billed municipal services into one Bill exposes the service users to a practice where they are sanctioned against the use of electricity when they default in payment of other services.
According to the task team investigations, some municipal workers use a combined billing system as an opportunity to treat residents unbecomingly when they raise queries associated with their billing statements.
In bringing a solution to the raised issues, Baloyi said there was consultation on the current municipal tariff on electricity usage which comes to the end in June this year.
He said the municipality has commenced with consultations for the financial year starting in July and he urged residents to participate.
"It would be in the best interest of the community for the municipality to continue to distribute electricity directly to the people as one of the identified services that government at a local level should provide.
"No pre-paid electricity users will be blocked from buying because they are in default of payment for other services," he said.
Baloyi said those electricity users who have their cables cut-off because they owe in the other areas will be re-connected, adding that the municipality has started the process to reconnect them.
"Those electricity users who have their cables cut-off for other reasons will be immediately reconnected and placed on a sample assessment of one hundred meters that will be conducted over a period of a month, after which the situation will be managed according to the results of such investigations," he said.
The Minister said default payment including arrears will be managed in strict compliance with the policies of the municipality directed to each service.
He also announced that the municipality will open a service user support office that will provide on-the-spot queue service management and queries.
Baloyi said his department will conduct an investigation on the future of viable electricity distribution either by the municipality or Eskom and they will report on progress made by August this year.
