eThekwini councillors have highlighted flaws in the draft Indigent Support Policy 2025/2026, designed to provide financial relief to low-income households by offering subsidised or free basic services such as water, electricity, and sanitation.

The draft policy was debated at a council meeting on Monday. Proposed amendments were made to the existing policy for implementation to strengthen effective revenue collection as well as to align with case law and legislation.

The municipality stated that it has significant socioeconomic challenges, such as poverty, unemployment, and a gap between the rich and poor within its population.

One of the amendments was to maintain an indigent register, ensuring better allocation of resources and services, and facilitating a streamlined application process.

The municipality said that some of the challenges include a lack of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, making it challenging to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions to optimise impact.

Councillors said these issues hindered the effectiveness and credibility of the policy and would leave many vulnerable residents without adequate support.

Ward 35 Councillor Bradley Singh said one of the criteria for becoming a successful applicant under the indigent policy is the immediate installation of an electricity prepaid meter.

Singh said this requirement raises serious concerns, as there is currently no stock of meters available, and no contract in place to supply the city with them.

“This creates an impossible situation for applicants who are expected to comply with a condition that the municipality itself cannot fulfil. Thousands of residents who have already paid for prepaid meters are still waiting for installation, some for years. This backlog highlights a systemic failure in the municipality’s ability to deliver on its promises. How can new applicants be expected to receive prepaid meters when those who have already paid are still left waiting?” Singh asked.

He was also concerned that the policy often excludes households that are genuinely struggling but do not meet the strict income or property value thresholds.

Singh said some qualifying residents are denied benefits due to administrative errors or a lack of awareness.

He claimed that the municipality’s property valuations are often inflated, disqualifying many low-income households from indigent benefits.

“The policy is not regularly reviewed to reflect changing economic conditions, such as inflation or rising unemployment. This lack of updates means that the policy becomes increasingly outdated and less effective over time.”

IFP Councillor Jonathan Annipen said the policy is silent on who covers the cost of these meters, adding that the electricity unit remains confused about this matter.

“The process must be sustainable. The policy remains silent on the turnaround time to process applications. Residents have been waiting as far back as 2021 for an outcome. This means that the debt continues to grow without any prospect of when the application will be processed. The policy should specify a timeframe for processing applications,” he said.

Annipen suggested that upon applying for indigent support, customers should have their debt ring-fenced and advised that the application will only be considered if subsequent bills are paid in full pending an outcome.

Imtiaz Syed, president of Active Citizens Coalition, said several informal settlements do not have accounts with the municipality but receive services such as water through standpipes or communal water supply.

Syed was concerned that there were no individual informal settlement dwellers registered in the indigent register.

ANC Councillor Nelisiwe Nyanisa said they supported the indigent programme.

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za