The municipal services or utilities payments do not feature high on priority lists of many households in SA, an independent study has found.
An insightful Spend Trend 23 report, which was jointly compiled by both Discovery Bank and Visa, sheds light on a concerning trend, which highlights the payment of essential utilities like water, electricity and sewerage often takes a back seat in many households’ spending.
Over a three-year period, from 2019 to 2022, the report analysed spending patterns, revealing that municipal services lag and are not even in the top five of household spending.
Despite municipal services being crucial to many households, the report shockingly reveals that as part of the households’ spending habits over the years, the spending on utility services comes last after items like groceries, travel, eating out and take out, retail, fashion retail and transportation.
While these indulgences contributeto our comfort and lifestyle, it is important to reassess our priorities and recognise long-term consequences of neglecting municipal utility payments.
The report reveals that many households are not prioritising payment of their municipal bills. This trend is reflected in the City of Johannesburg debtors’ book of close to R50bn.
It is because of many households not prioritising payments of their utilities, which results in the City struggling to provide these crucial services in the sustainable manner.
The SA Local Government Association has repeatedly warned that non-payment of municipal services by households is a contributing factor of municipal collapse. On a positive outlook though, the report has hailed the move by many consumers who were embracing transacting digitally and yearning for more of these platforms. We hope many households will also embrace the City’s e-Joburg platform, where they will be able to transact with the City anytime.
Kgamanyane Maphologela, Director: communications and stakeholder engagement at COJ group finance department
READER LETTER | Pay your municipal bills to get the service you deserve
Image: 123RF/ANDRIY POPOV
The municipal services or utilities payments do not feature high on priority lists of many households in SA, an independent study has found.
An insightful Spend Trend 23 report, which was jointly compiled by both Discovery Bank and Visa, sheds light on a concerning trend, which highlights the payment of essential utilities like water, electricity and sewerage often takes a back seat in many households’ spending.
Over a three-year period, from 2019 to 2022, the report analysed spending patterns, revealing that municipal services lag and are not even in the top five of household spending.
Despite municipal services being crucial to many households, the report shockingly reveals that as part of the households’ spending habits over the years, the spending on utility services comes last after items like groceries, travel, eating out and take out, retail, fashion retail and transportation.
While these indulgences contributeto our comfort and lifestyle, it is important to reassess our priorities and recognise long-term consequences of neglecting municipal utility payments.
The report reveals that many households are not prioritising payment of their municipal bills. This trend is reflected in the City of Johannesburg debtors’ book of close to R50bn.
It is because of many households not prioritising payments of their utilities, which results in the City struggling to provide these crucial services in the sustainable manner.
The SA Local Government Association has repeatedly warned that non-payment of municipal services by households is a contributing factor of municipal collapse. On a positive outlook though, the report has hailed the move by many consumers who were embracing transacting digitally and yearning for more of these platforms. We hope many households will also embrace the City’s e-Joburg platform, where they will be able to transact with the City anytime.
Kgamanyane Maphologela, Director: communications and stakeholder engagement at COJ group finance department
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