Huge eThekwini water bill after a smart meter? How to stop a cut-off

eThekwini ratepayers who got a sudden, huge water bill after a smart meter was installed can dispute it, and the City says it should not cut off services over the amount in dispute while the query is open. You still have to keep paying the part of the bill you don't dispute, or your average consumption.

That is the City's own position, given to IOL on 26 October 2026 after ratepayers and civic groups complained of inflated bills and disconnection threats following the smart water meter rollout.

What are residents complaining about?

Ratepayer groups say faulty readings and estimated charges have pushed some accounts sharply higher, IOL reported.

One eManzimtoti ratepayer, KZN legislature oversight committee chair Lourens de Klerk, told IOL his usual bill of about R2 000 turned into a claim that he owed R65 000. He said his new smart meter showed a constant zero reading while charges kept being estimated. He later got a water cut-off notice despite being told his account was on hold, and a municipal team then arrived to disconnect his electricity because the hold had only been placed on the water side.

The Reservoir Hills Ratepayers Association said it knows of multiple similar cases from several wards, according to IOL.

Which areas are getting smart water meters?

The rollout has covered areas including Amanzimtoti, uMhlanga, Westville, New Germany and Bellair. By the end of May, 1 865 smart water meters had been installed and another 135 were being rolled out, the municipality reported to council, the South Coast Sun reported.

The City says the meters are meant to reduce water losses, improve billing accuracy and cut its reliance on estimated readings.

What does eThekwini say it will do about a wrong bill?

City spokesperson Senzelwe Mzila told IOL that a reported faulty meter or irregular reading is inspected and the meter repaired or replaced. If an error is confirmed, the account is adjusted to actual or average consumption and related charges are corrected.

He said credit-control action should not be taken on an amount under a properly lodged dispute, and that the City is working on better coordination between Revenue Management and its service units so disputed accounts are flagged correctly.

The law backs this up. Section 102(2) of the Municipal Systems Act says a municipality's power to recover arrears does not apply to a specific amount that is in dispute.

How do I dispute the bill and protect myself from a cut-off?

• Lodge a formal dispute at your nearest Sizakala Customer Service Centre, or call account queries on 080 13 13 013 (eThekwini contact page).
• Get proof. Keep the dispute reference or receipt. eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association president Ish Prahladh told IOL that residents can show the dispute form to a disconnection team at their door.
• Photograph your meter and record readings. The City asks residents for readings and pictures of the meter, according to Prahladh. You can also submit readings and log complaints on eServices.
• Keep paying the undisputed portion of the account, or your average consumption, while the dispute runs (IOL).
• Check for leaks with a plumber so you can rule out a real cause of higher use.

If a dispute on your water account doesn't stop action on your electricity, as happened in the case IOL described, take your dispute reference to Sizakala and ask for the hold to be placed on the whole account.