Non-paying Seshego residents have services disconnected
Residents have acknowledged public notices and text messages by the municipality informing them of he chances of their water and electricity being cut, if their debts are not paid.
POLOKWANE – The municipal services of non-paying Seshego residents are systematically disconnected after several warnings by the Polokwane Municipality that bills should be settled and indigents should apply for relief.
After the initial disconnections were done, a concerned group of residents met with the mayoral committee member of finance, Tshepo Nkwe and municipal chief financial officer, Nazeem Essa in an effort to request pardon for those who are affected and have their electricity re-connected.
A representative of the group, George Thembo says they decided to consult after realising that the vulnerable in society, including the elderly, who rely greatly on social grant and the orphans who still go to school were greatly affected.
To qualify as an indigent, the total gross monthly income (the total income of all residing in the house) must not exceed R4 720 per month. The person/applicant applying on behalf of a household must be 18 years of age or older and must be a South African citizen.
Residents have acknowledged public notices and text messages by the municipality informing them of he chances of their water and electricity being cut, if their debts are not paid.
It has been hard to execute the demands well, because of the high cost of living, hence their plea with the municipality in the meeting put great focus on the grappling effects that the cutting off of electricity has on them, Thembo said.
“The municipality did not consider the orphans who go to schools on weekdays and need electricity to prepare, and they are not able to negotiate on their own. Some older people owe hundreds of rand despite the effort of putting huge chunks of their money on municipal bills. So we tried to explain,” he says.
After what seemed to be an understanding between the two parties, with the conclusion to halt the disconnections and allow indigent groups to apply, has still not materialised.
The concerned group says upon enquiry they were met by an office administrator who said a written order to follow their plea was not brought to their attention by the two municipal representatives.
Municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala says documents of indigent households must first be brought to the municipality for assessment and if verified, their electricity would be restored. Residents have now started the process of collecting documents with the hope of their municipal debt being reduced to amounts that they can afford.
“So far, on Monday, I had collected up to 40 households’ documents and will be taking the first batch for application,” he concluded.
