Residents of Thembisile Hani Local Municipality in Mpumalanga are threatening violent protests after the municipality decided to stop issuing manual proof of residence in favour of municipal statements.
This change is expected to be fully effected by June 30.
However, the community opposed the change and emphasised that it is not realistic to expect everyone to be properly registered on the municipality’s system by then.
Diamond Ntuli, a community leader, said municipal offices are too far for the elderly and disabled people to travel.
He also raised concern about ongoing problems with incorrect billing for years.
He explained that empty plots sometimes get billed while homes with big families are charged less. “There are no satellite offices to accommodate people travelling as far as Kwaggafontein and people are complaining about the behaviour of the municipality on this issue and many other issues that are directly affecting the community.
“We had a community meeting recently, and I realised there that there might be violent protest looming against the municipality. All because they keep demanding but never grant us any services, not even improving the road and water infrastructure,” said Ntuli.
He told Sunday World that the municipality reached out to the community but did not discuss the transition but only announced that the change had already been made.
Ntuli said the community was caught off guard and worried that the change would make it harder for people to access basic services.
He said this is especially concerning to those who do not have updated municipal documents due to unemployment, disability, or other reasons.
David Sibanyoni, a DA councillor, said the municipality should have considered bettering service delivery before implementing this measure.
“We live on plots, and they introduced a system that would have every household recorded but it is failing. People are getting double bills or just extreme billing that cannot be fixed.
“Imagine now they are introducing municipal statements as proof of payment. This will of course disadvantage people who are being billed twice because of this dual address thing,” said Sibanyoni.
Dumisani Mahlangu, the municipal manager, told Sunday World that the change is part of an effort to modernise the municipality’s processes, improve service delivery and reduce fraud.
He insisted that the new system would lead to higher efficiency and better transparency. He also said it would help the municipality follow national standards.
Mahlangu explained that the old system had many problems, such as the risk of document fraud, poor checking of physical addresses, and a lack of connection with the municipality’s property records.
“While these challenges previously hindered accurate service planning and efficient resource allocation, they also presented a valuable opportunity to strengthen internal systems, modernise data verification processes and enhance the integrity of resident records.
“This shift allows the municipality to improve planning, deliver services more effectively, and build greater public trust through transparency and accountability,” he said.
He assured residents that no one would be denied services just because of outdated statements but encouraged them to update their information to avoid delays and ensure fair treatment.
The municipality, which incorporates areas from the former Kwa-Ndebele homeland administration, including Kwaggafontein, comprised 333 331 households spread across 32 wards.
