In a bid to reclaim more than R200 million owed by government departments for services, the Msunduzi Municipality is now targeting these departments with disconnections.

On Thursday, the city issued notices to government departments to pay up or face their services being disconnected.

The municipality is owed R213 million by government departments. This action follows a similar campaign last year, where it targeted businesses in the city and recovered more than R500 million in just a couple of months. The city this week also introduced a new card payment policy after questions were raised about transaction fees it was charging.

In a statement from the municipality, it said, “As part of its ongoing revenue collection campaign, Msunduzi Municipality today (Thursday) intensified Operation Qoqimali, with a focused operation targeting government departments with arrear municipal accounts."

It said final notices were issued to institutions with outstanding debt, giving them five days to settle their accounts. If payment is not received within this period, the municipality will proceed with disconnections.

It was noted that no disconnections were effected today, as this phase of the operation was dedicated to issuing notices and engaging relevant stakeholders. Among the departments and facilities visited were Grey's Hospital, the Department of Public Works, South African Social Security Agency, the Department of Correctional Services – Medium B Prison, and several public schools.

The city said, “Government debt to the municipality currently stands at R213 million, and urgent action is being taken to reduce this figure in the short term to safeguard service delivery. The municipality welcomes the undertaking received from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works to settle the current financial year’s property rates by 31 May 2025.”

THE MERCURY