Head of Ekurhuleni’s ICT dept charged with misconduct over billing issue that resulted in lost revenue

JOHANNESBURG - The Ekurhuleni Municipality’s chief information officer is expected to report to the city manager, explaining why he shouldn’t be suspended over a billing issue that resulted in revenue losses.

Eyewitness News can exclusively reveal that Moloko Monyepao, who heads Ekurhuleni’s ICT department, has been charged with misconduct after it emerged that his unit was at the heart of a billing crisis.

Over 1,660 households and businesses had their electricity meters tampered with, resulting in R2 billion in financial losses for the municipality.

Some of the households were under-billed for electricity supply, while others had their outstanding balances completely erased.

Internal investigations revealed Ekurhuleni’s ICT department failed to manage the automated meter reading system, which aims to ensure the accurate billing of electricity accounts.

Instead, this resulted in the opposite, as thousands of households and businesses were under billed for electricity and some had their outstanding balances completely wiped out.

A confidential report from the office of the mayor, which EWN has seen, states there was a collapse in administrative oversight within the ICT department.

Sources within the city have confirmed that Monyepao will have to present a report to the city manager detailing why he shouldn’t be placed on suspension.

His failure to monitor the city’s billing system contributed to the R2 billion revenue loss incurred by the city.

Meanwhile, the metro has roped in the auditor-general and an independent firm to investigate the matter.