MOSSEL BAY NEWS -Mere hours ahead of the national lock-down in terms of the state of disaster announced by President Ramaphosa, the Council today at a special council meeting unanimously approved recommendations for a package of relief measures to ease the effect of the lock-down on the community, local businesses and the local economy.
"Let Mossel Bay know that this council unites behind President Ramaphosa in the fight against the Covid-19 Coronavirus," Councillor Jovan Bruinders asked when the councillors discussed the proposal.
The influence of the Covid-19 coronavirus will increasingly be felt in the community and especially by the local businesses that depend on community support. Therefore it was recommended to Council to provide a financial grace period to support businesses, industry and other customers on municipal accounts.
During the national disaster, the municipality’s finance department will remain operational also to give effect to the recommendations.
Relief
- Financial assistance will be provided to all Lessee’s of the municipality including Local Economic Development projects such as the Beehives and Goods Shed
- An amnesty is granted for paying rent by all lessees for a period of three months after the government's announcement of a national Covid–19 disaster and applied for March 2020 to May 2020 on accounts payable by the 15th of the following month.
- Lessee’s will need to repay the arrears in equal installments for no longer than 6 months.
- No interest will be levied during this period of a full nine months if all accounts are up to date for accounts payable by 16 March 2020 (February 2020 account).
- No collection mechanisms will be applied to the outstanding 3-month amnesty accounts. However, if the customer is in default of any amount during the repayment period, the normal credit control measures will be applied.
Business and Industry assistance
- An amnesty for paying the full-service bill for a period of 3 months after the government's announcement of a national Covid-19 disaster is granted and applied for March 2020 to May 2020 property rates and service account accounts payable by the 15th of the following month.
- To benefit businesses will need to repay the arrears in equal installments for no longer than six months.
- No interest will be levied during the full nine months period providing all accounts are up to date for accounts payable by 16 March 2020 (February 2020 account).
- No collection mechanisms will be applied to the outstanding 3-month amnesty accounts. If the customer is in default of any amount during the repayment period, the normal credit control measures will be applied.
Residential Customers
Water
- The current water restrictions will be lifted, in other words, all water that is restricted (on drip) will be opened. The deadline for 26 March 2020 would be a challenge but a letter has been issued to Debt Pack employees to continue after Thursday as essential services.
After Thursday any restricted meters can be logged at Debt pack for opening at 044 - 620 4480 - No collection mechanisms will apply, in other words, no new disconnections restricts or notices will be processed during the 21-day lock-down period or any extended period announced by the State President
Electricity
- All prepaid and conventional electricity meters that are currently 100% blocked will be lifted before Thursday, 26 March 2020
Indigent applications
- The deadline for Indigent applications will be shifted to 30 April 2020, instead of March 2020
- No interest will be levied on arrears accounts till payment date in June 2020, if all accounts are up to date for accounts payable by 16 March 2020 (February 2020 account)
The auxiliary recovery rate by prepaid purchases of 55% will be reduced to 30% for the Covid-19 21-days lock-down. The municipality urges those customers that can afford to keep their municipal accounts up to date to do so. This will ensure that Mossel Bay Municipality can ensure sustainable service delivery, at the levels that the residents and customers of Mossel Bay are used to, is delivered.
The municipality requests that all other revenue-related issues be submitted to jfourie@mosselbay.gov.za.
Lock-down service delivery arrangements of the Finance Department
The finance department consist of the following units:
- Budget Office;
- Financial Administration;
- Expenditure;
- Income; and
- Supply Chain Management.
During the National Disaster, the sections remain operational as follows -
The financial section is regarded as a non-essential service and personnel will mostly work from home, where possible.
The Budget Office functions from home; to ensure that all electronic request reaches this section please cc email correspondence to Vicky Basson at her normal email vbasson@mosselbay.gov.za
The Expenditure Section have limited access from home, to ensure that all electronic request reaches this section please cc email correspondence to Marlene Jacobs at her normal email mjacobs@mosselbay.gov.za
Creditors
All creditors' invoices already received will be paid before or on Thursday, 26 March 2020. An urgent request is made to suppliers and officials controlling invoices to submit all invoices to admin@mosselbay.gov.za
Hand delivery of invoices will be impossible, therefore please mail directly to prevent delays.
All invoices for payment after this period must be dealt with as normal, arrangements have been made to process these asap for the normal payment the 25th April 2020
Contract workers will be remunerated until the end of the contract as if the official was at work, as is the case of all permanent employees.
The Financial Administration Section will make use of the back-office facilities remotely operated. It is requested that insurance claims be submitted to admin@mosselbay.gov.za and cc to hleroux@mosselbay.gov.za
The arrangements for Supply Chain Management is as follows:
Competitive bids / Tenders
From Thursday all site meetings and Bid evaluations Committees will be postponed. The section advertised that all closing dates be extended until 24 April. This will also be done for Formal Written Quotations.
Tenders with site information meetings will be postponed with new briefing dates after the lock-down period. Both senior practitioners will be provided with remote access and will continue to evaluate the current tenders.
The first Bid Evaluation Committee will be arranged after the lock-down period. Unfortunately, no award letters will be able to be processed during this period as the Appeal and Objection period can only commence after the lock-down period.
Formal written quotations
An assessment will be done on current Formal Written Quotations (FWQ) that still need to be evaluated. Only essential FWQ will be evaluated now with the approval of a report given via Outlook. All the annual formal written quotations will wait until after the lock-down. Practitioners will be issued with remote access and will only complete essential documents before commencing full lock-down.
Quotations
The section will only handle the essential request. Departments are requested to only process requests for essential services and needs, the rest may wait until after the lock-down period.
We request that all other supply chain-related issues be submitted to dscholtz@mosselbay.gov.za
Supply Chain Management
All cash collection points and enquiries will be closed. No telephonic calls will be responded to, it is requested that all enquiries be emailed admin@mosselbay.gov.za.
Contacts
All Accountants have remote access. All enquiries received electronically must be allocated as follows:
- Services, meter, and billing-related services - Mitchel Zimri – mzimri@mosselbay.gov.za
- Rates – Hetta Dauth – hdauth@mosselbay.gov.za
- Indigent and collections – Welma Bothma – wbothma@mosselbay.gov.za
- Sundry Debtors – Ruan Pienaar – ruan.pienaar@mosselbay.gov.za
- All Other – Jannie Fourie – jfourie@mosselbay.gov.za
Debtor Accounts
All debtor accounts will be sent out by end of business on Thursday, 26 March 2020. The payment date is 15 April 2020. Interest will not be levied until 20 April 2020. The next billing run is due on 22 April 2020.
Meter readings will stop on Thursday, 29 March 2020, all accounts not metered will be estimated. Meter readings will commence on 16 April 2020, whilst the normal reading commencement time was set for 13 April 2020. This will, therefore, affect only the April account.
NB - All receipting services, such as payment of accounts and purchasing of prepaid electricity can be performed online and at various retail shops. The details of all vendors are printed on accounts.
Interim valuation notices have been sent out with a reply date for reviews of 1 May 2020. No valuations enquiries will be dealt with by the municipality till 18 April 2020.
We request that all other revenue related issues be submitted to jfourie@mosselbay.gov.za
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