Municipality assists people struggling financially

Mossel Bay Municipality has measures in place to assist residents who struggle to pay their municipal accounts.

Previously, the municipality hosted meetings with community members to assist them in applying for indigent rebates and pensioners' discounts.

The first community visits will take place on 6 March at the Asla Park community hall (Ward 15) and then on 7 March at the KwaNonqaba community hall (Ward 1).

The time is from 15:00 to 18:00. Municipal officials and Debtpack will be on site to assist residents with their applications. The categories for the poor are:

1. Valuation Indigent: Homeowners with a residential property valuation of less than R125 000 automatically qualify as Valuation Indigent.

2. Indigent Level 1: Household income of all residents older than 18 years is less than R4 200 (R4 220 from 1 October 2023) per month

3. Indigent Level 2: Household income of all residents older than 18 years is less than R8 400 (R8 440 from 1 October 2023) per month.

4. Indigent household, housing a person with disability: Household income of all residents older than 18 years is less than R8 400 (R8 440 in October 2023) per month.

Benefits to indigent households

Valuation Indigent, Indigent level 1 households and households where a person with a disability lives will receive:

6kl of free water and 50 kWh of free electricity per month and not pay any basic charges for water and electricity services.

They will only pay for property rates, rubbish removal services or sewerage services.

Indigent level 2 household will receive:

6kl of free water and 25 kWh of free electricity per month and only pay 50% of the basic charges for water services.

They will only pay 50% of property rates, rubbish removal services and sewerage services.

Pensioner rebates

Mossel Bay Municipality also assists the elderly in the form of pensioners' rebates on property rates, sewerage charges and since 1 July 2023, for the first time a discount is offered on the basic charges for electricity.

A pensioner household that earns up to R18 100 per month receives a 50% subsidy.

A pensioner household that earns up to R24 200 per month qualifies for a subsidy of 30%, subject to certain conditions.