PUBLIC NOTICE: FACTS ABOUT INDIGENT SUPPORT_Annual Verification and Review
George Municipality is aware of concerns and various untruths being raised regarding indigent support benefits. As part of the Municipality’s Council approved Indigent Policy, indigent registrations are subject to ongoing verification and review to ensure that public funds and Equitable Share allocations are directed to households that meet the qualifying criteria approved by Council. The policy specifically allows for annual re-applications and continuous verification of indigent registrations.
During a recent verification process, a number of records were identified where qualification requirements could not be confirmed. Examples included missing supporting documentation, expired applications, unverifiable income information, ownership-related exceptions, or other instances where the Municipality was unable to confirm continued eligibility in terms of the approved policy.
Where eligibility could not be confirmed, indigent support was suspended. This does not prevent affected residents from re-applying or providing the outstanding documentation for reassessment.
Importantly, the Municipality remains fully committed to supporting qualifying indigent households. In fact, the 2026/27 Indigent Policy introduced increased income thresholds linked to social pension levels, enabling more households to qualify for assistance than in previous years.
The Municipality acknowledges that any interruption of indigent benefits may cause concern or financial pressure for affected households. For this reason, the Municipality commenced a comprehensive indigent registration and awareness campaign on 2 June 2026, which will continue until 14 July 2026. Through this outreach programme, municipal officials are visiting communities across George and the wider municipal area to assist residents with new applications, annual renewals, the submission of outstanding documentation and enquiries regarding their indigent status. These outreach sessions, held at community venues during the evenings, have been specifically arranged to make the registration process as accessible as possible to qualifying households.
Residents who believe they were incorrectly removed from the indigent register are encouraged to visit any municipal office so that their circumstances can be reviewed as quickly as possible. George Municipality remains committed to administering the indigent support programme fairly, consistently and in accordance with the Council-approved policy, while ensuring that available public resources reach the households for which they are intended.
