Ratepayers in Ethekwini have urged the municipality to address billing issues so that they can fully benefit from the Special Debt Relief Programme implemented by the city.

The city introduced the debt relief programme a few months ago and extended it this week.

Ish Prahladh, president of the eThekwini Ratepayers and Residents Association, welcomed the extension. He stated, “It will be a big relief for consumers, but a nagging question remains: have they sorted out their billing system, which is in chaos? Charges are astronomical and mostly incorrect.”

“Consumers may find relief but could still end up in greater debt due to incorrect charges. Firstly, the municipality must conduct monthly readings of water and electricity meters to ensure the billed amounts are correct. Additionally, consumers need to read their meters and statements to ensure the meter readings correspond with the readings on their statements.”

“If consumers do not keep an eye on these readings, they will land in deeper debt. The municipality only has one answer: pay or we will cut you off. Remember, municipality staff only look at figures on their system, whether they are wrong or right,” he added.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in eThekwini welcomed the extension of the municipality’s Special Debt Relief Programme, aimed at assisting households and businesses struggling with old municipal debt.

DA councillor Andre Beetge noted, “The proposal was tabled at the eThekwini Full Council meeting on Thursday, 30 October 2025. This follows the recent close-out report of a similar programme that ran for 45 days between mid-May and the end of June 2025, during which the city recovered only R1.3 billion of an expected R3.1 to R6.3 billion.”

“Under the extended programme, account holders with arrears dating back to 31 January 2025 will have the opportunity to settle 50% of their outstanding debt, with the municipality writing off the remaining 50%,” said the councillor.

Councillor Jonathan Annipen of the IFP commented, “The IFP remains committed to fighting for policies that put residents first—policies that balance financial responsibility with social justice. We believe that debt relief should not be a once-off gesture but part of an ongoing effort to rebuild trust between the municipality and its ratepayers.”

The municipality said the initiative aims to assist domestic and business customers by offering a 50% write-off of arrears debt accumulated as of January 31, 2025.

To qualify for this debt relief, customers must pay the remaining 50% of the corresponding debt in full and final settlement.

eThekwini residents will be allowed to settle the requested 50% financial contribution in instalments, provided that all the payments are made by January 31, 2026.

The municipality stated that, after the customer settles 50% of the arrear debt owed as of January 31, 2025, the customer must settle the entire outstanding debt, if any, relating to the period from  February 1, 2025, to June 30, 2025.

Should the customer not be in a financial position to settle the debt for the months after January 31, 2025, the customer can enter into a payment plan, interest-free, to settle the debt by June 30, 2026, without making any down payment. The programme will run for a period of three months from November 1, 2025, to January 31, 2026. 

THE MERCURY

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