RURAL AREAS TO BE REGISTERED FOR INDIGENT SUBSIDY - A FIRST FOR GEORGE MUNICIPALITY The Executive Mayor of George today announced a Mayoral Campaign which will see the Municipality’s Finance Directorate embark on a dedicated outreach to register those residents living and working in the rural areas for the Indigent subsidy.Since 2004, a total of 16000 indigent customers have been assisted on an annual basis by the George Municipality with a subsidy that covers the basic charges for water, sewerage, refuse removal and 50 kWh units electricity. The Finance Directorate conducted road shows in George last year around the registration process and will now for the first time place the focus firmly on the rural residents of Ward 4 (Wilderness Heights, Beervlei, Bergplaas, Kleinkrants, Rondevlei, Woodville Forest Station and Lancewood) , Ward 22 (Hooggekraal, Outeniqua Station, Diepkloof, Sinksabrug, Geelhoutboom, Waboomskraal and Herold), Ward 23 (Hansmoeskraal, Malgasriver, Syferfontein), Ward 24 (Hardbeesrivier, Avontuur, Ongelegen, Bo Kouga, De Hoop, De Vlug, Joncksrus, Noll, Kykoë, Vergenoeg, Uitkyk, Molenrivier en Eensaamheid) and Ward 25 (BarandasKromlaagte, Kammanassie, Rooirivier, Diepkloof, Snyberg, Britsevlakte, Warmbad, Buffelsklip, Ezeljacht, Gansekraal, Louvan, Schoonberg, Klipkop en Daskop). The project includes a job creation leg with 25 temporary workers who have been selected from the Municipal database and who will receive training in order to conduct the survey on service delivery and also assist those residents, who qualify for the indigent subsidy, to register. This project will provide relevant and useful information for the George Municipality, as information gathered will include the number of people living in an area, the number of structures, the municipal services currently available, as well as the number of indigent households located in the rural areas. The George Municipality recognizes the important role that the farm owners will play in this survey and will engage with all of the farmer’s associations and individual farmers in order to encourage the farm workers to interact with the Municipality for their registration. In terms of the South African Constitution, a Municipality is allowed to use nationally raised revenue in order to provide basic services to poverty-stricken households and to this end the George Municipality Indigent Management Policy was adopted in 1999. The main purpose of the Indigent Policy is amongst others to “provide basic municipal services to the needy or indigent community in a sustainable manner, within the financial and administrative capacity of the municipality.” Previously the farming community was not accommodated due to a number of factors including geographical technicalities in the supply of municipal services to rural areas.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 09:46:24 +0000
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