# Stellenbosch council offers payment holiday to hardest-hit ratepayers

- Link: https://dearsouthafrica.co.za/2020/03/26/stellenbosch-council-offers-payment-holiday-to-hardest-hit-ratepayers/
- Published: 2020-03-26T09:14:23+02:00
- Author: dearSA

![](https://cdn.dearsouthafrica.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/20191126/Stellenbosch.
jpg "Stellenbosch")

Ratepayers in Stellenbosch who can prove that their income has been hit by the coronavirus
crisis will get a three-month rates holiday, councillors decided at an emergency
meeting on Wednesday.

“Once the crisis is over, the municipality will work with applicants to repay the
principal outstanding debt on reasonable terms and without the accrual of any new
interest,” said MP Leon Schreiber, the DA constituency head for Stellenbosch.

In a statement issued by the DA, which controls Stellenbosch municipality, Schreiber
said the rates holiday would apply only to “businesses, farms and industrial enterprises
that, upon formal application, can prove that their income has been negatively affected
by the coronavirus crisis”.

He added: “The same application process will apply to individuals. Rate payments
for all households with individuals who lose their job as a result of the crisis
will also be paused for three months, and no interest will be charged.”

Councillors also decided to suspend credit control measures until the end of April
or the end of the lockdown, whichever comes first.

“This is to ensure that residents are not cut off from critical services like electricity
and that they have enough cash on hand to weather the lockdown and the economic 
storm,” said Schreiber.

The amount of free water allocated to indigent households will increase from 6,000l
a month to 10,000 during the crisis.