Oudtshoorn, 01 April 2020 – Council approved the relief on consumer’s municipal accounts, in the form of exempting the billing of interest on all overdue consumers’ accounts for a period of four (4) months from March 2020 – June 2020.
Other consumer relief decisions are as follows:
- Council extended the consumer incentive scheme approved by Council on 19 December 2019, resolution number 60.162/12/19, whereby consumers would be required to settle 50% of debt in arrears before 30 June 2019 once-off, and will then be assisted through the write-off of the remainder 50% of the debt, from April 2020 to June 2020.
- All consumers whose electricity has been blocked has been unblocked as from 24 March 2020 until 20 April 2020, to allow for the purchase of pre-paid electricity over the lock-down period, excluding consumers which were disconnected or blocked for tampering with their electricity meter box/supply.
- A compulsory auxiliary percentage charge of 30% collection be implemented on all pre-paid consumers unblocked for the mentioned period as per the credit control and debt collection policy of council.
- Should consumers fail to settle their municipal account in April 2020 after the lock-down period, normal debt collection procedures be followed as per approved credit control and debt collection policy of Council.
- That if the status of any consumer changed during the COVID-19 period to indigent, that they be registered after the twenty one (21) days lock down period.