Komani households get 14-day payment warning from CHDM

CHDM cracks down on non-payment in Komani

The Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) has intensified its efforts to recover millions of rands in unpaid municipal accounts across the district, with Komani being one of the main focus areas of its ongoing revenue enhancement campaign.

Led by Executive Mayor Cllr Lisanda Sizani, CHDM teams moved through various parts of Komani this week to deliver 14-day payment notices to households and businesses with overdue accounts. These notices serve as formal warnings, giving customers a final opportunity to settle their debts before stricter enforcement steps are taken — including water disconnections and service restrictions.

Municipal teams were seen distributing notices at both residential and commercial properties, while another unit continued with water disconnection operations targeting accounts that had already received final demand letters earlier in the year.

Municipality pushing for accountability

The campaign is part of CHDM’s broader strategy to improve revenue collection and reduce municipal debt, a growing problem that has affected service delivery across the district. According to municipal reports from previous years, non-payment by customers has placed severe pressure on the municipality’s ability to fund essential services such as water treatment, sanitation, waste management, and road maintenance.

By reinforcing its debt collection efforts, CHDM aims to restore financial stability and ensure that ratepayers who do comply are not unfairly burdened by the shortfall created by those who do not.

Officials have indicated that this campaign will be sustained over the coming weeks and that similar operations will take place in other local towns within the district, including Cofimvaba, Cala, and Lady Frere.

Financial strain across the district

The Chris Hani District Municipality, which includes the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, has long struggled with poor payment rates. Many residents in Komani have raised concerns about inconsistent service delivery, but the municipality maintains that revenue collection is a crucial part of improving infrastructure and addressing backlogs.

While the municipality continues to appeal for voluntary compliance, it has also warned that it cannot indefinitely absorb unpaid debts without consequences for water and service reliability.

Municipal sources have noted that arrears from households, businesses, and government departments together run into the tens of millions, making debt recovery one of the municipality’s top priorities as the 2025/26 financial year unfolds.

Encouraging payment arrangements

CHDM is urging residents who are struggling financially to visit their local municipal offices to make payment arrangements. These arrangements allow customers to pay off their debt in instalments while maintaining access to essential services.

The municipality has emphasised that it remains open to working with those who show willingness to pay. However, residents who continue to ignore notices and disconnection warnings risk further enforcement measures such as service termination and legal recovery processes.

Long-term goals for Komani

The revenue enhancement campaign is also intended to instil a culture of responsibility among ratepayers in Komani. By improving collection rates, the municipality says it can better maintain water infrastructure, repair damaged networks, and respond to service interruptions more effectively.

The campaign follows recent public discussions around service delivery in Komani, where water supply challenges and infrastructure issues have become regular points of concern for residents. The municipality maintains that stronger financial management is essential to resolving these problems in a sustainable way.

Community urged to cooperate

As CHDM’s teams continue their work across Komani, residents are being urged to cooperate with officials, verify their account details, and take the necessary steps to bring their payments up to date. The municipality reiterated that payment of services is not just a municipal requirement but a civic duty, ensuring that basic services continue to reach all corners of the community.