The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has welcomed the tabling of a motion by its caucus in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality council seeking to remove registered indigent households from the municipality’s debtors’ list and shield them from debt collection measures.
The motion, scheduled to be debated at council at Germiston City Hall, proposes that all households officially recognised as indigent be removed from the city’s debtors’ database and have their qualifying municipal debt written off in accordance with the municipality’s Indigent Support Policy.
The party argues that many vulnerable residents who have already been verified and approved as indigent continue to face threats of service disconnections, debt collection and even potential credit bureau listings despite qualifying for relief.
EFF Gauteng provincial chairperson Nkululeko Dunga said the motion seeks to correct an administrative contradiction within the municipality.
“It is both contradictory and unjust for residents who have been formally verified and approved as indigent to continue appearing as debtors,” Dunga said.
He added that the city’s own policies state that indigent households qualify for subsidised basic services and that qualifying municipal debt must be written off administratively.
According to the EFF, the motion aims to achieve three key outcomes: immediate protection of indigent households from credit control and debt collection measures; alignment between the municipality’s Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy and its Indigent Support Policy; and greater accountability by requiring the city manager to report back to council on the removal of indigent accounts from the debtors’ list.
The motion also calls for the proper deployment of newly appointed indigent field workers to help vulnerable residents, including elderly people, persons living with disabilities and child-headed households, register for indigent support and remain compliant with municipal requirements.
The proposal comes amid ongoing frustration among residents in several townships across Ekurhuleni, particularly in Tembisa, where communities have repeatedly complained about municipal billing practices and aggressive debt collection efforts.
In recent years, the municipality has attempted to improve revenue collection as part of efforts to stabilise its finances and recover billions of rand owed in unpaid municipal accounts. These efforts have included stricter credit control measures, service disconnections for non-paying households and campaigns urging residents to settle outstanding municipal debt.
However, critics argue that the approach has sometimes failed to distinguish between residents who are deliberately refusing to pay and those who simply cannot afford to do so.
Community groups and residents have previously complained about billing errors, delayed indigent registrations and situations where households approved for indigent relief were still treated as debtors.
Some residents have also reported receiving debt collection notices or facing service interruptions despite having applied for or already qualified for indigent support.
The EFF says the motion is intended to ensure that the city’s policies are implemented correctly and that poverty is not criminalised through administrative failures.
Dunga said municipalities must protect the most vulnerable members of society while maintaining fair and lawful revenue collection systems.
“Municipalities must distinguish between those who cannot afford to pay and those who deliberately refuse to pay,” he said.
“If the City of Ekurhuleni has approved residents as indigent, it must honour that decision and ensure that those households are protected from harassment and unlawful debt collection.”
The party said it will continue to use its representation in council to push for policies that protect poor communities and expand access to basic services.
Should the motion be adopted, the city would be required to remove qualifying indigent households from the debtors’ list and implement measures to prevent similar administrative failures in future, while also improving oversight of the municipality’s indigent support programme.
