The City of Johannesburg has apologised to Nelson Mandela and his family for mistakenly posting a non-payment notice on the former South African president’s house warning him his electricity was about to be cut off.
The city, which has faced a barrage of complaints from residents for bungled bills, said on Monday that the notice demanding payment of $660 was supposed to have been delivered to a different house.
“The address and account number stated on the notice belong to another customer and property in a neighbouring suburb, not to the Mandela residence,” said city spokesman Kgamanyane Maphologela.
“The city wants to convey an apology to the Mandela family for any inconvenience caused by this unfortunate incident,” it said in a statement.
Mandela, 95, has spent two months in a Pretoria hospital battling a lung infection that has left him in a critical condition.
The location of Mandela’s Johannesburg home is one of South Africa’s worst-kept secrets. It is frequently visited by media and well-wishers who leave messages for a speedy recovery on painted stones outside the residence.
The notice threatened “discontinuation or restriction of services” and legal action if the 30-day arrears were not paid, local media Eyewitness News reported.
Last month a bill for more than $355,000 was erroneously sent to the African National Congress party headquarters.
