The City of Johannesburg has announced that residents struggling with municipal debt have until October 31 to apply for the city's Phase 4 Debt Relief Programme. The programme aims to provide relief to residents carrying historical debt. According to Kgamanyane Maphologela, the city's director of communications and stakeholder management in group finance, the programme has already submitted more than R1.25bn in qualifying debt relief for processing from the first batch of applications received up to the end of July.
By the end of July, the city had received 18,043 applications linked to approximately R2.05bn in outstanding municipal debt. However, the city stressed that the full amount linked to the applications will not automatically be written off. The actual relief granted depends on whether an applicant meets the council-approved requirements, the customer's category, and the circumstances of the individual account. The first batch of approved relief is expected to reflect on qualifying municipal accounts by the end of September.
Maphologela said the programme was beginning to provide tangible assistance to residents carrying historical debt. "More than R1.2bn in qualifying debt relief from the first batch has now reached the system-processing stage," he said. This is significant relief for qualifying customers who have been carrying historical municipal debt and provides them with an opportunity to regularise their accounts and maintain a sustainable payment relationship with the City.
Poor people who lack the basics and can't even afford to pay their municipal bills, individual residential customers, and pensioners account for most of the qualifying relief submitted for processing. Of the R1.25bn that has already been received, about R674.4m relates to indigents, approximately R315.6m relates to individual residential customers, and about R205.1m relates to pensioners. Together, these categories account for roughly R1.195bn of the relief submitted for processing.
To qualify for the programme, applicants must be registered property owners (or appointed executors) with active municipal accounts currently in arrears. Residential properties must be occupied primary residences with a market value not exceeding R2.5m on the city's valuation roll. Commercial entities, NPOs, and places of worship must operate within Johannesburg and have an annual turnover capped at R3m to qualify for debt relief.
All applicants must have verified, normalised meters without tampering or illegal connections and will have to sign an Acknowledgement of Debt for remaining balances, and commit to paying ongoing monthly charges. Maphologela urged residents not to wait until the final days, also adding that residents should be cautious of people or organisations promising guaranteed approval in exchange for payment. "October 31 2026 is the closing date, and customers should not leave their applications until the final days."
Applications received after July will be assessed in later batches, with the city saying it will continue processing qualifying applications submitted before the programme closes. Residents should apply through the city's official revenue customer service centres and designated debt-relief channels. The city's debt relief programme provides qualifying customers with an opportunity to address historical debt, while encouraging them to remain responsible for their current municipal charges going forward.
Key points
- The City of Johannesburg's Phase 4 Debt Relief Programme has already submitted more than R1.25bn in qualifying debt relief for processing.
- Poor people, individual residential customers, and pensioners account for most of the qualifying relief submitted for processing.
- Residents have until October 31 to apply for the programme.
