The scourge of abandoned and hijacked buildings in the Buffalo City Metro is compromising the safety of residents and businesses, with criminals running their operations from some of these neglected premises. BCM has identified 45 problem buildings, mostly in the East London city centre, Quigney, Southernwood, Vincent, Bonnie Doon, Egoli, Nahoon and Berea.
Despite a tough stance on ratepayers who are in arrears with their rates and services payments, the Buffalo City Metro has decided to pardon residents who steal electricity by tampering with their meters.Mayor Princess Faku has announced an “amnesty” and called on those who have been illegally tampering with their meter boxes to come forward.
Buffalo City’s much-promoted but almost universally condemned smart metering system could soon be a thing of the past, as the cash-strapped metro’s belt-tightening has finally forced the mayor to concede that it was not providing value for money.