Thousands not registered for indigent list

THOUSANDS of Msunduzi Municipality ratepayers who qualify for free basic services under the city’s indigent policy are not registering their indigent status to avoid having their services “limited”.

That is the view of councillors after it emerged that the number of registered indigents was far lower than it should be.

The city has about 5 000 individuals under its indigent policy, but some councillors say the real figure of those who qualify is seven times that number.

Indigent status means the residents who have registered qualify for a portion of their services for free.

Failure to ensure that all those who qualify for indigent status are registered has negative financial implications for the city as it affects the equitable share that the municipality gets from the national government.

A report on the matter found that about 5 800 people had registered for indigent status, and were in debt to the tune of R177 million.

The breakdown showed that residents owed the most for water (R80m), followed by property rates (R26m) and electricity (R25m).

The report also revealed that some of the debt was more than a year old, with the municipality expressing concern that the debt was growing.

Councillors have spoken out that many of those who qualify are not taking advantage of the indigent policy because they are using the services for free.

DA councillor Glen McArthur said the city had a responsibility to ensure that people who qualify for indigent status were registered. He said many were reluctant to register as they were getting unlimited free service from the city.

Similar concerns were expressed by ACDP councillor Rienus Niemand. He said people knew that they could use as much as they wanted without paying.

“If they did apply, it would help the council get reimbursed by the national government.

“The simple reason for this lack of registration by indigents is that they know that they will be restricted in their present abuse of water and electricity usage.

“They can steal as much as they want now. This will result in an audit query, but the governing party is not interested because they are scared of losing votes if they stop the theft,” Niemand said.

Municipal communications manager Thobeka Mafumbatha said the city constantly engaged with the public on various platforms to remind them to register or renew their indigent status.