CoJ grants R167m in rebates to pensioners

The programme aims to support elderly homeowners by offering reductions in their property rates.

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has provided a substantial financial boost to thousands of pensioners by granting over R167 million in property rebates for the 2023/2024 financial year. Nearly 24 000 elderly homeowners have benefited from this initiative so far.

Kgamanyane Maphologela, director for communications and stakeholder engagement at the city’s Group Finance department, expressed satisfaction with the initiative, stating that the CoJ is pleased that many pensioners applied for the rebates to “get relief from the City”.

Maphologela highlighted that the city received a total of 35 094 applications from pensioners as of 18 July 2024. However, 5 902 of the applications were rejected for various reasons, including incomplete submissions, income levels exceeding the threshold, or the applicants not being registered owners of the property.

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Criteria to qualify for rebate

The rebate criteria require applicants to be registered owners and occupants of the property, be 60 or older, and provide proof of monthly income.

Pensioners aged 60 to 69 with incomes up to R12 475 are eligible for a 100% rebate, while those earning up to R21 383 qualify for a 50% rebate. Meanwhile, pensioners over 70 can receive a 100% rebate on properties valued up to R2 million without any income requirements.

The city noted that rebates for applicants who applied before the 30 September 2023 deadline will be backdated to 1 July 2023.

Read: City of Joburg’s property error causes havoc for homeowners

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