When it comes to municipal accounts there seems to be a mighty big double standard in play. As an average ratepaying resident in Nelson Mandela Bay, just try not to pay your account for a month. Or rather, don’t, because14 days after that your electricity will be cut off or, if you are a pre-paid customer, you will be blocked from buying units. And then you will have to go through the whole rigmarole of getting your accounts unblocked and pay a reconnection fee of R350.

This begs the question – why were Bay councillors who were in arrears, and for at least 90 days, not subject to the same punitive measures levied against any regular resident?..