Who pays when South Africa’s municipal accounts go unpaid?

Ratepayer representatives and economists say businesses and residents who pay their bills may be bearing the cost of unpaid municipal accounts. Duncan Heafield, vice-chairperson and spokesperson for the Umhlanga Ratepayers & Residents Association, is calling for detailed public data on billing, collections and recoverable arrears across all customer categories. He says higher commercial rates alone do not prove that businesses subsidise households, and city comparisons should account for full bills, valuations, rebates, tariffs and service quality. Without comparable information for three cities, the association cannot assess whether enforcement is equal or quantify disparities.