Covid-19: City extends Expanded Social Package rebates
JOHANNESBURG – MMC responsible for Health and Social Development, Eunice Mgcina this week made the decision in response to the announcement of the 21 days lockdown announced the President Cyril Ramaphosa.
The City of Joburg has announced in a statement on 1 April that it had taken a decision to extend Expanded Social Package (ESP) rebates for an additional six months in response to the national lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The ESP is a programme offered by the Social Development Department and has been designed to help disadvantaged individuals and households living on a monthly income of less than R6 086.37 to gain access to water, electricity, refuse removal and property rates rebates based on their level of poverty. For beneficiaries to continue benefiting, they need to re-register every six months.
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This now means that current beneficiaries do not need to present themselves at their local points of service to re-register. “This includes all beneficiaries whose registration expire in March, April, May and June 2020 unless the lockdown is lifted prior to May and June,” said the City
According to the City, from July 2019 to date, the programme currently provides the basket of services to 30 000 residents across the city.
The department also offers social worker services in the form of home visitations for bedridden and chronically ill patients to ensure that these citizens are provided with an opportunity to access the programme.
“The City’s food bank is linked to the ESP programme to enable indigent families to receive free vegetables regularly,” said the City. “Beneficiaries will further qualify for referral for programmes and services offered by the City of Joburg departments e.g. skills development, social service interventions, youth programmes, and intervention programmes for the homeless etc.”
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