City of Johannesburg increases its social package

The City of Johannesburg has increased the monthly income threshold for its expanded social package (ESP) for indigent residents to R5‚578.91.

The change came into effect on November 1‚ and means that Johannesburg residents with no income‚ or earning an income of up to‚ but not exceeding R5‚578.91 per month‚ qualify to register and benefit from a rates rebate.

In the previous year‚ the income threshold stood at R5‚308.20.

ESP is a basket of benefits that the City of Johannesburg offers to its most vulnerable citizens based on their level of poverty.

Currently‚ there are 321‚984 residents that are registered as indigent‚ and the city calls upon all residents who meet the threshold to register at their nearest local ESP centres spread across the city’s regions.

Residents who wish to register for the ESP programme and benefit from our rebates must meet the following criteria:

- They must be a South African citizen;

- They must reside within the City of Joburg’s boundaries (for this‚ a proof of residence is required – for example: a COJ billing statement‚ a letter of confirmation from the local councillor‚ or an affidavit from the local police station); and

- Their monthly income must not exceed R5‚578.91 per month. Pensioners who have municipal accounts in their names who are register‚ will enjoy the following benefits:

- Rates rebates for properties valued at under R2-million;

- Electricity rebates on both prepaid and conventional accounts (City Power and Eskom); - Water rebates on conventional accounts – and the citizen does not have to be a homeowner to qualify for these metered-service benefits;

- Referral for social work interventions via programmes for the elderly and services offered by the City of Johannesburg departments. For working age citizens and the unemployed aged 18-59‚ the ESP offers:

- Rates rebates on properties valued under R450‚000;

- Electricity rebates on both prepaid and conventional accounts (City Power and Eskom) - Water rebate on conventional accounts (the ESP water rebate is issued if the individual uses more than 6 kilolitres per month) – and the citizen does not have to be a homeowner to qualify for these metered-service benefits;

- Referral for programmes and services offered by the City of Johannesburg departments‚ for example skills development‚ social service interventions‚ food resilience‚ youth programmes‚ and intervention programmes for the homeless.