Latest news with #DebtReliefandIncentiveScheme
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Residents demand scrapping of bills, reject amnesty plan
Frustrated residents from across Tshwane took to the streets demanding the immediate scrapping of historic arrears in estimated bills and to reject the metro's current conditional amnesty programme. The Lotus Gardens, Atteridgeville, and Saulsville Civic Association (LASCA) led the march on May 29. They described the historic debt as 'bogus'. The residents handed over their memorandum of demands at Tshwane House in the Pretoria CBD. LASCA president Tshepo Mahlangu said the estimated bills are 'unconstitutional', and residents should not be obligated to pay for services that cannot be verified. 'The auditor general's report indicated that these bills are estimated, so they are inaccurate,' Mahlangu said. 'Residents cannot be compelled to pay for a debt that is based on estimations, even in terms of the law, we are not obliged to pay for estimations.' He stated that the metro is struggling with service delivery, which is causing distress across all regions, but customers are facing unjustifiably high and inaccurate bills. 'The metro is so quick to want to collect debts, but when it comes to delivering services, they hold back. 'Residents are faced with poor service delivery but are charged every month for services that are never rendered.' He said that for residents to start paying bills, the estimated debts should be eliminated, and then services delivered so that there is proof of what they are required to pay for. 'The metro should solve the billing problem by employing more meter readers, delivering services appropriately, and then collecting revenue.' The Department of Finance recently announced that the municipality's Debt Relief and Incentive Scheme will conclude on May 31, however, residents demanded that the programme be stopped. 'This scheme is used to trick municipal customers into committing to payment arrangements on arrears,' said Mahlangu. He maintained that the metro should put a stop to the conditional bill amnesty scheme. Residents expressed their frustration regarding the municipality's billing crisis. Joyce Manoko, a 69-year-old resident of Atteridgeville, expressed her confusion about why her water bill was so high. 'It doesn't make sense to me how I have a debt of over R100 000 on my bill when I pay the little I have every month for utilities. I don't even own a car wash.' She said the municipality called her to make an arrangement to pay the debt, but she has no idea how she is going to pay. 'If I agree to that arrangement, how will I pay for it when I don't work and depend on the pensioners' grant only?' Godfrey Shabalala (65) from Soshanguve said he is hurt by how they are being treated by the metro. He stated that they are forced to live in darkness and that their taps run dry due to debts they do not understand. 'We are suffering while people in power are living comfortably and earning profits using our names.' MMC for Finance and Deputy Mayor Eugene Modise received and signed the memorandum of demands, committing to address the issues raised by residents. 'We will call the LASCA delegation and have a meeting with them within the stated 14 days to discuss what should be done, how, and when,' he said. ALSO READ: Primary school needs urgent refurbishment, upgrades Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
22-05-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Debt relief deadline looms
With just 10 days remaining, the Tshwane metro has urged residents and businesses to take advantage of its Debt Relief and Incentive Scheme before the final deadline on May 31. This initiative, championed by Deputy Mayor and MMC for Finance, Eugene Modise, is designed to ease the financial burden of municipal debt and provide residents with a clean slate. The scheme has seen a strong engagement across Tshwane since its inception, with more than 19 853 amnesty application forms submitted. Among these, 5 069 applications specifically target electricity debt relief, which is a pressing issue that continues to impact households and businesses across the metro. 'We are encouraged by the response so far, but we want to remind those who have not yet applied that the window is closing fast. Time is of the essence,' said Modise. Modise said one of the best outcomes of the initiative has been the writing off of R1.84-billion in debt from 31 540 inactive accounts. He said these are accounts no longer reflect active consumption but have long-standing arrears, which placed a heavy strain on the metro's finances. By removing this debt from its books, the municipality not only improves its financial outlook but also demonstrates a commitment to restoring financial stability for its constituents. In addition to the inactive accounts, the metro confirmed that 460 residential accounts and 19 business accounts have been successfully approved for the debt relief option. This has resulted in R76.54-million in affected debt and R26.5-million officially written off. Modise said the metro's programme has also made strides in helping indigent households. 'We have written off R2.42-billion from indigent accounts.' The May 31 deadline is the last chance for residents and business owners to submit their applications. The process allows individuals to enter into payment agreements or apply for full or partial relief, depending on their financial situation. 'This reflects our unwavering commitment to social responsibility. 'We are dedicated to ensuring equitable access to essential services for all residents of Tshwane.' Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
