RESIDENTS who are getting indigent support from AbaQulusi Municipality will have to reapply before the end of June if they wish to continue receiving these benefits.
At a recent council meeting, Chief Financial Officer, Haroon Mahomed, stated, “All indigents need to reapply for the new financial year. If there is no application approved by council, there will be no indigent support given.”
Mayor, Jerry Sibiya, explains, “The auditor general (AG) has picked up instances where people who no longer qualify for indigent support have continued to receive the benefits, and has warned that municipalities should encourage indigents to reapply for support each and every financial year.”
He continued, “It might happen that this year I may be an indigent and next year I have found a job and no longer qualify for indigent support. However, our system continued to pay for people who no longer qualified as indigents. I picked up last year that we were paying indigent support for teachers. So, I have put my foot down and asked that the AG’s request be implemented.”
In order to apply for indigent support you need:
– An indigent application form which you must obtain from your ward councillor. Your indigent application needs to be approved by your ward councillor, who will have to verify that you actually do qualify for indigent support.
– Proof that you are unemployed in the form of a written affidavit.
– Proof of your household income bracket. If people earn a combined household income of up to R3000, they still qualify for indigent support. A combined household income of more than R3 000 disqualifies you for indigent support.
– Pensioners need to attach proof that they are receiving a grant.
– Proof of identity
– Proof of residence. If the property is not in your name, you will need to obtain proof in writing from your landlord that you are paying for the services consumed at that address.
These documents need to be handed to the ward councillor, who signs it off. Then the completed paperwork is handed in at the municipality for verification, before it is sent to the Executive Council for final approval.
What does indigent support entitle you to:
– 6kl of water free,
– 50kwh of electricity free. However, if a person consumes more than 150kwh per month, the electricity benefit will automatically fall away. You will continue to receive all other indigent benefits, besides electricity,
– Discounts on sewer and refuse fees.
– Pensioners with a property in their name get an 80% rebate on their rates. Indigents also get an 80% rates rebate, but only if their property is valued at R80 000 or less.
Indigent support is subsidised through the equitable share that it allocated to the municipality.
Residents are warned to be honest in their application, or they could face criminal charges and will be held accountable for their entire bill.
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