POLOKWANE – In her State of the City Address last week, Polokwane Mayor, Thembi Nkadimeng, spoke about indigent support, acknowledging that residents cannot afford to pay municipal rates.
“We have made it our business to ensure that our indigent policy accommodates them,” she said. The municipality lowered the threshold for those who qualify for assistance from a combined household income of R5 400 per month to R3 500.
Nkadimeng says the municipality will undertake a rigorous campaign to visit all clusters to speak to pensioners and other residents who qualify to ensure they are included in the register.
“We announced that we are among the rarest of municipalities and the only municipality in Limpopo to increase the maximum threshold electricity supply for the indigent basic electricity from 50 kW to 100 kW,” said Nkadimeng.
The municipality will continue in the 2016/17 financial year to provide R100 000 of the market value of residential property as rebate from property rates.
This means that every indigent homeowner whose property is worth a maximum of R100 000 or less, will not pay any assessment rates.
“Our pensioners earning a monthly income of R8 300 and above the indigent threshold of R3 500 per household will get a deduction of 40% on assessment rates,” said Nkadimeng.
Free basic electricity is currently being supplied to 8 169 families while 1 865 receive solar power.
A total of R50 million has been invested to fund over 13 500 urban indigent households and over 17 000 rural households with free electricity.
Nkadimeng reminded the public that the indigent register is still open and residents are welcome to apply for rate relief.
