‘Urgent debt relief is required’
In the meeting, residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the rate at which the metro attends to their grievances.
Kwa-Thema – The community was invited to a public meeting at HH Ngakane Hall last Sunday.
In the meeting, residents expressed their dissatisfaction with the rate at which the metro attends to their grievances.
“We keep bringing up the same issues repeatedly.
“But not much changes,” said one of the concerned residents.
Among the issues discussed were debt write-offs for municipal bills, the metro’s indigent policy, the revival of sports in schools and the infestation of drugs in the community.
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“Today is a follow-up meeting from the one we had last September.
“In response to troubles faced by schools, we believe parents need to commit to helping their children.
“Parents must be part of the solution.
“They need to attend meetings as and when the schools call them,” said Jongizizwe Dlabathi, chief whip of council for the ANC in Ekurhuleni.
Dlabathi admitted the standard of service delivery to the community is low.
“From long grass that is not cut to water and electricity outages, we see these issues and put them forward to the metro.
“Residents should not tire of reporting these issues to their councillors,” he added.
In response to the write-offs of household debt, Dlabathi said the caucus is resolute that the metro should give residents a minimum of 75% write-off.
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In a written statement, the ANC councillors in Ekurhuleni said they ‘demand the City considers implementing a 75% debt write-off for all households owing over 90 days in all townships in the City by the end of June 2022’.
They pointed out the South African economy has been experiencing slow growth, with many households having lost income because of the impact of the pandemic.
“Households have been struggling to service their debts, mainly because of either no income or constrained disposable income.
“Urgent debt relief is required given the current economic conditions.
“There’s a clear sign townships are burdened, significantly, by the ever-changing conditions of the economy coupled with the cost of living.”
The total outstanding debtors in the City, as of December 31, amounted to R23.4-billion.
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