On November 21 last year, as he was leaving the office, an e-mail popped into the inbox of Kevin O’Grady, the managing editor of the FM and Business Day. It was his monthly bill from the City of Joburg.

O’Grady did a double take. There, innocently enough under "water and sanitation", the amount owed read: R109,496.85. Surely it was a mistake...

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