City’s debt rehabilitation programme to be reinstated: Johannesburg Mayor

Johannesburg Mayor, Mpho Phalatse says the debt rehabilitation programme will be reinstated for the City’s customers who are in financial distress.

Operation Buya Mthetho is underway to collect the R38-billion in unpaid bills by government, businesses and residents.

The City has been disconnecting services due to unpaid bills, but says it will not cut off customers whose bills are in dispute.

Phalatse says government departments and businesses are among those owing large amounts.

“These customers that we are talking about know they should be paying and these are people that have capacity to pay. And for those who have no capacity to pay, we also have made a way out. In fact, in the last council meeting on Thursday, we approved a report to reinstate the debt rehabilitation programme. So it will be starting again on the 1st of March until the end of the financial year, where people can apply for their historical debt to be written off. It is for people who are really in financial distress, but we do it with a view to rehabilitate them into becoming faithful rate payers in the future,”

Johannesburg City says it is owed an outstanding debt of about R38 billion in municipal rates: Mayor