STATUS WITH MUNICIPAL INDIGENT POLICIES

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• STATUS WITH MUNICIPAL INDIGENT POLICIES
• Mr. Patrick Flusk
• Deputy Director-General Free Basic Services
  Infrastructure
• 06 September 2005

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AN INDIGENT POLICY

• Allows government institutions to target the
  delivery of essential services to citizens who
  experience a lower quality of life
• An indigent policy should define
• A municipalitys approach to dealing with poverty
  (plan)
• A municipalitys approach to accessing the
  indigent
• Who will benefit
• Which services will be delivered
• How much of a particular service will be provided
  to beneficiaries
• What process will be used for managing the
  indigent
• An indigent policy should detail (emphasize) the
  linkages between the various poverty alleviation
  programmes that will result in the indigent
  moving away from the poverty trap
• Resources allocated by municipality
• Process for tracking and assessment

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WHY THE NEED FOR AN INDIGENT POLICY AT MUNICIPAL
LEVEL?

• Basic services are provided by municipalities,
  therefore municipalities need to have a policy
  that regulates how FBS will be provided.
• Indigent policies allow municipalities to plan
  the scale and scope of their delivery.
• Conditions vary amongst municipalities, thus a
  local indigent policy will take cognizance of
  these conditions.
• Criteria for determining beneficiaries will be
  influenced greatly by local conditions e.g. child
  headed households, income levels etc.

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THE STATUS OF THE INDIGENT POLICY EFFORTS AT
NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL

• A National Indigent Policy Framework has been
  developed by the dplg
• Provinces are starting to formulate their own
  policies e.g. GP has tabled a policy for the
  province
• FBS national conference (July 05) drew together
  national departments, provinces and
  municipalities to debate issues pertaining to the
  roll-out of FBS and indigent policies.

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EXTENT TO WHICH MUNICIPALITIES HAVE BEEN
UTILISING INDIGENT POLICIES As at 28 February
2005

• 120 municipalities nationally have formal
  indigent policies
• 21 municipalities nationally do not have formal
  indigent policies
• 98 did not respond

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EXTENT TO WHICH MUNICIPALITIES HAVE BEEN
UTILISING INDIGENT POLICIES As at 31 July 2005

• 176 municipalities nationally have formal
  indigent policies
• 45 municipalities nationally do not have formal
  indigent policies
• 16 did not respond
• Provinces (e.g. GP) started developing a
  provincial wide policy framework

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DIFFICULTIES EXPERIENCED WITH INDIGENT POLICIES

• In regard to definitions
• Aligning definitions to national norms which
  themselves have not been consistent
• Defining beneficiaries in terms of households or
  account holders
• Defining what is a household
• Defining who is an indigent
• In regards to implementation
• Targeting methods to be used
• Accessing non account holders (homeless, people
  without services etc)
• Administering indigent registers? If not, how
  else does one manage/ control
• Monitoring delivery
• Verification of beneficiary data
• Exit strategies are not clearly outlined
• Impacts on the quality of life of beneficiaries
• Cost limitations Can only implement what can be
  afforded

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DEPARTMENTS RESPONSE

• The dplg will be developing guidelines for
  indigent registers.
• The dplg is tabling resolutions and an action
  plan for its FBS programme which outlines
• Communication approach and recommendations for
  ward councils and CDWs
• Developing ME system
• Is working together with StatsSA in developing
  baseline data from which planning and tracking
  can be done
• Through Project Consolidate will be assisting
  municipalities to implement the guidelines.