Thousands of struggling ratepayers in the Umzimvubu Local Municipality now have an opportunity to clear their municipal debt after the council approved a 90% debt relief incentive scheme for qualifying residential and business property owners.
The initiative is designed to help residents settle long-outstanding municipal accounts while easing the financial burden caused by mounting interest charges.
Mayor Zukiswa Ndevu said the scheme would benefit both ratepayers and the municipality by improving revenue collection and strengthening the municipality’s ability to continue delivering essential services.
The debt relief follows a customer engagement campaign in KwaBhaca and EmaXesibeni, where municipal officials visited residents door-to-door to encourage payments, update customer information and assist with account-related concerns. The municipality also hosted ratepayer engagement days to address billing and property queries.
The 90% debt relief scheme came into effect on 1 August 2026 and will remain available until 31 January 2027, with the municipality urging qualifying ratepayers to take advantage of the limited-time opportunity.
No tags for this post.
