The hackers who effectively seized control of Ekurhuleni’s IT billing system manipulated billing data to reduce property rates debt owed to the city by residents and businesses.
According to a forensic report compiled by OMA Chartered Accountants in July 2025, once inside the system, the perpetrators issued rates-clearance certificates by altering and deleting back-end billing records.
“This manipulation results in a lower reported outstanding balance than what is actually owed, thereby concealing the full extent of the debtor’s liability,” the report states.
“These transactions artificially reduced the brought-forward balances on debtor accounts, thereby understating the actual amounts owed by debtors.
“This not only impacts the accuracy of the municipality’s revenue records but may also enable improper clearance certificate issuance.”
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