City of Johannesburg offers cash-strapped households municipal discounts

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) will help hard-pressed households by letting them pay only 10% of their total municipal debt when making payment arrangements to relieve them from financial distress from April 22.

The campaign is only available until May 31.

Kgamanyane Maphologela, the director of customer communications for the CoJ’s Group Finance Department, said all residential customers who struggle to keep up with their monthly municipal bills can apply for consideration of the discount.

Previously, the city required residential customers to put a 30% downpayment on the outstanding debt to qualify for payment arrangements, but that has changed with the limited 10% offer.

“The city is mindful of the enormous financial pressures many households face. This initiative is but one of the city’s many interventions to try to assist our customers and be a caring city. The CoJ is committed to assisting residents in keeping their rates and utility accounts up to date,” said Maphologela.

For instance, Maphologela said a resident who owes the city R100 000 for municipal services will now pay only a R10 000 deposit and enter payment arrangements without any questions asked.

Maphologela encouraged all eligible customers to take advantage of this offer by visiting their nearest customer service centre. The city has walk-in service centres spread across all its regions.

Information and documentation required when applying for a discount:

• ID copy of the account holder;

• Power of attorney when account holders cannot do it themselves.

All property owners struggling to service their accounts for various reasons should approach the city to avoid being cut off by making payment arrangements and signing acknowledgements of debt.

Customers wanting to make payment arrangements but who do not want to visit any of the walk-in-centres can email the city’s Credit Control Department on creditcontrol@joburg.org.za