Residents from across Thembisa and Phomolong were encouraged to register for the City of Ekurhuleni’s indigent support programme during a community engagement at Rabasotho Community Hall on October 23.

The meeting, led by the MMC for Finance, ICT, Strategy and Corporate Planning, Ald Jongizizwe Dlabathi, provided residents with an opportunity to raise concerns, receive feedback on municipal programmes and learn more about services available to qualifying households.

Dlabathi encouraged eligible residents to apply for indigent support to access the assistance offered by the city. He also highlighted the importance of making the application process simpler and ensuring residents understood the available debt-relief measures.

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“Today, we had a community engagement to update residents on what we are doing to address the issues they face, while also sharing information about policies that affect them.

“We were advocating for a simpler way to apply for indigent support, and the community appreciated this. Another issue raised was the implementation of debt write-offs.

“We explained the processes involved in the debt write-off policy, including payment arrangements.

“We are encouraging people to apply, access discounts and, more importantly, take advantage of this debt relief. We also have a board that is willing to assist with appeals. If a property has been incorrectly evaluated, mistakes can be corrected when appeals are submitted to the city,” he said.

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Dlabathi also addressed the responsibilities of households already registered on the indigent programme, explaining that residents who exceed their allocated free service units should contribute towards the cost of additional consumption where possible.

“Another important topic concerned those who are already registered as indigent beneficiaries. Those who exceed their allocated units should try to pay something towards their consumption so that we can also meet our obligations to Rand Water and other service providers in Ekurhuleni.

“One of the suggestions raised during the meeting was that we should consider increasing the current water allocation in kilolitres. I advised residents that this proposal would be considered during our Integrated Development Plan (IDP) process.

“Another issue raised was the need to look at informal settlements and hostels, with suggestions that residents in these areas should also contribute towards services. This is something we are also considering,” he said.

Dlabathi described the engagement as productive, saying the intention was not only to provide feedback on the city’s work but also to listen to residents and take their concerns forward for consideration.

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Residents were encouraged to familiarise themselves with the indigent support programme’s qualifying criteria and submit applications to determine whether they qualify for assistance.