Bay businessman 'owed R100000 by municipality'

A PORT Elizabeth businessman is claiming R100000 from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which he says is owed to him for cutting grass in cemeteries for a year and a half.

Mongezi Petros, owner of Petros Mhlanyana Trading Enterprise, has sent a lawyer's letter to the city demanding he be paid the amount he has been chasing since the end of 2011.

He said he was under pressure from his workers seeking their pay.

Petros, 64, was awarded a three-year contract in 2010 to cut grass at the Motherwell, Bucwa, Veeplaas, Zwide, Despatch, Papenkuil and KwaNobuhle cemeteries. He said that in 2011 he was suddenly told to stop cutting the grass until the city fixed an issue with its square metreage reading which determined how much he would be paid. - Mkhululi Ndamase