The Western Cape department of local government office in Cape Town had its water and electricity cut off on Thursday over an unpaid bill of almost R750 000.
City of Cape Town workers cut off the water to the department’s city centre building at 1.12pm and the electricity shortly after that.
Mayoral committee members for finance and trading services Ian Neilson and Lionel Roelf said the department had been given until noon to pay an outstanding amount of over R724 000.
R613 734 of this was rates and service charges and R110 277 was electricity charges.
A final warning had been issued 48 hours previously.
The cut-offs were in line with the city’s policy to cut off any clients who could afford to pay but would not.
”It is only in this way that we will ensure we will have sufficient income to deliver effective and good quality services to all the people of Cape Town,” they said.
The building, at the corner of Loop and Dorp Streets, has an emergency diesel generator, which kicked in as soon as the municipal electricity supply was cut off. — Sapa