Questions and Answers                 

1. What is Siyasizana (also known as the Expanded Social Package)?
The Siyasizana social package is a basket of benefits which the City allocates to citizens based on their level of poverty. It replaces the old City of Johannesburg indigent subsidy system. From 1 July 2009 an entirely new system of benefits will be rolled out targeting poor individuals and the households in which they live. Registration for this new system is already open, and 30 offices across the City will be able to register people by June 2009. People registering on the system before July will have certain benefits applied to their household account in the meantime (see question 4 below), but these benefits will change over to the new system on 1 July 2009 (see question 5 below).

2. How is this different from the old municipal subsidy system?
The Expanded Social Package is different in many ways (as these frequently asked questions explain), but probably the most important change is that you do not need to be an account holder to apply for subsidies. You just have to live somewhere that has an account with the City for water and/or electricity. You can also apply as a homeless person or as having no formal address (see question 16 below).

3. Who should register for Siyasizana?
Any person earning less than R3 366,00 a month residing - as owner, tenant or lodger - on a property falling within the boundaries of Johannesburg, should register From 1 July 2009 people with different levels of need will qualify for different levels of subsidy according to the City's new measure of poverty - the poverty index ( see question 23 below).

4.  What benefits does Siyasizana give me before 1 July 2009?
Before 1 July 2009, the benefits still go to the household account, regardless of how many people are registered for Siyasizana at that address.

These benefits are:

•         10 000 litres free basic water (four thousand litres more than standard free basic water);
•         100 kilowatt-hour electricity (for City Power customers).

If the Siyasizana recipient owns the property, and the property is not valued at more than R1,5-million on the City's valuation roll, they will also get:

•         100 percent rebate on rates;
•         100 percent rebate on sewer and refuse charges.

5. What benefits does Siyasizana give me after 1 July 2009?
After 1 July 2009, each individual who qualifies is eligible for certain benefits - these include subsidies on water, electricity, transport and rental and, for property owners, subsidies on rates, sanitation and refuse removal charges.

Citizens will qualify for one of three different levels of benefits, depending on how high they score on the City's poverty index (see question 6 below).

The subsidies for water, electricity, rates, sanitation and refuse removal that a person qualifies for will be applied through the City's billing system based on the person's declared home at the time of registration. Customers with prepaid meters will use a voucher system (see question 11 below).

The amount of subsidies a household gets will be based on the number of people that have declared the household's account as their address when they register and their individual level of poverty (see question 6 on the three-band system).

The subsidies for everyone who qualifies in the household are added together and the total is taken off the household's bill, up to a capped amount. The maximum amount of subsidy is higher for households whose members have very high scores on the City's poverty index (see question 6 below).

Rental and transport subsidies (only available from July 2009) will go directly to the individual (not through the City account), and details on these will be published in the first part of 2009.

6. How does the City work out my level of need and how much subsidy do I qualify for?
From 1 July 2009 onwards, Siyasizana will have three different levels of help for those who qualify, depending on how high their poverty score is (see question 24 below). The higher the score, the more in need the City considers a person to be.  

These three different levels of help are known as Band 1, Band 2, and Band 3. The Siyasizana system will work out your poverty score and which band you qualify for based mainly on:

•         The information you give about yourself and those who depend on you financially (see question 7 for how this will be verified);
•         And how deprived the area you live in is (see question 23).

The three bands work as follows:

Band 1 - Is the lowest level of subsidy, aimed at helping those on the borderline of poverty.

Band 2 - is the middle level of subsidy, aimed at those who earn some formal income but whose earnings fall below the survival level defined by the poverty index (see question 23).

Band 3 - is the highest level of subsidy, aimed at those with no formal income living in the most deprived circumstances.

The amount of subsidy a person in each band will receive for water, electricity, rates, sanitation, refuse removal and transport is being finalised through the City's tariff process and revision of its rates policy. Rental subsidies, also using the three bands, will be rolled out with a pilot group of qualifying individuals from June to July 2009.

7. How does the City verify my income and other circumstances?
The registration process requires that individuals provide a South African ID number (see question 18 below). Persons wanting to register for Siyasizana must sign a declaration in which they allow the City of Johannesburg to access information from other government departments with information on them. This will enable the City to confirm the details they have given about their personal circumstances. Any person found to have made a false declaration will be prosecuted and blacklisted from applying for Siyasizana again.

8. Where and when can I register for Siyasizana?
Registration is open at the following customer service centres:

At the time of registration individuals will also be able to discuss their situation with a social worker and be referred to programmes for those with special needs as part of the single window for social assistance (see question 22 below).

9. Is there a deadline to register?
There is no deadline. Registration remains open until further notice.

10. If I was on the old indigent register, do I have to re-register straight away?
If you were on the indigent register as of October 2008, you will automatically be transferred to the new register, but you will have to re-register on the new system before 1 July 2009. Anyone not re-registered after that date will have their benefits withdrawn until they register on the new system.

11. How do pre-paid customers get their benefits?
The Siyasizana system prints a confirmation voucher at the end of the registration process. Prepaid customers for water must present this voucher with their pre-payment token at a designated Joburg Water customer service centre. Citizens will be advised of the nearest centre where this can be done when they register.

Pre-paid electricity customers will similarly be advised on the process for redeeming their benefits upon registration. Eskom and City Power customers must bring along their meter number when applying.

12. Who is considered part of "my household"?
If you live in a building with only one main dwelling, your household is defined as the people who share your water account, including those who live in backyard shacks.

If you live in a building with multiple dwellings sharing the same water account (such as an apartment building or hostel) see question 16 below.

13. Can I register if I am not the account holder?
Yes, but you must bring a copy of the account of the property on which you live (or at the very least the account number) with you when you register, even if you are only a tenant there. 

14. What if I am homeless or have no formal address?
You can register as having no address (for example if you live in an informal settlement with no City accounts) or as homeless, but then you will not be eligible for any of the benefits that go to a property (subsidies for water, electricity, rates, sanitation and refuse removal).

You will still be eligible for other subsidies (rental, transport) through the single window for social assistance and for help finding employment through the Job Pathways Programme (see question 20 below).

15. How do I get benefits if I am a tenant and I don't pay the account?
When you register, you receive a printed confirmation that you've registered for the Expanded Social Package, showing the amount by which the bill for your property will be reduced because of this. Your landlord will also be notified on his or her bill that the property is registered for indigent benefits. How this changes your bill as a tenant is, for now, a matter between yourself and your landlord.

This will not make a big difference, however, until 1 July 2009 when each additional qualifying person living on a property adds to the level of subsidy the household gets (so households with more people will get more subsidy).

If the apartment you live in has its own kitchen and a bathroom, you count as a household, and the subsidy for your household will be via your building's account. In other words, your building will receive benefits for each apartment as if it were a house. A brochure explaining this to your landlord will be available.

17. Does everyone in the household have to register?
It is important that everyone eligible in the household registers, even though the number of household members registered for Siyasizana won't affect how much subsidy a household gets until July 2009.

Firstly, this will ensure the household gets the full benefits it is entitled to once the three-band system is activated in July.

Secondly, this will mean that each person in the household will be eligible for the individual benefits (such as transport subsidies and employment programmes) that are added to Siyasizana in the coming months.

18. What do you have to bring with you to register?
All you have to bring with you to register is your South African identity document (ID book, passport, driving licence or birth certificate) and a copy of the City account for the property on which you live.

If you know your ID number, but don't have any identity documents, you can still register but you will have to produce an identity document within three to six months.

Please note that your fingerprint will be recorded on the system at the time of registering. This is to protect your identity, and will be used as confirmation that the City has permission to verify information about you with other government information systems. The fingerprint replaces the written signature as identification.

19. How often do people have to register?
Siyasizana recipients will have to re-register and re-confirm their address every six months from January 2010 onwards, but this will be a quick process available in a number of City locations. Fingerprints will be used to confirm identity. 20. What will happen if my circumstances change?

Your poverty score will be checked when you re-register every six months. If there is a major change, or you no longer qualify, you will be notified when you re-register, at which point you will be advised on how you may object to the change if you so choose.

21. What else will Siyasizana include in the future?
People receiving Siyasizana will be prioritised for access to employment programmes through the Pathways Centres being set up as part of the Siyasizana system. This system is expected to be fully operational by July 2009, and will be delivered through City of Johannesburg skills centres in the various regions. This system is designed to help people become economically self-reliant, and ultimately uplift themselves beyond the need for Siyasizana. 22. What is the single window for social assistance?

Those registering for Siyasizana will have the opportunity to consult with a social worker. If there are special needs a person has that can be met by programmes in the area run by NGOs, the City or Gauteng province, social workers will refer a person to these.

Social workers will also have the authority to distribute special needs water for households with HIV-positive residents, those who are experiencing emergencies requiring extra water and (until 1 July 1 2009) households with multiple indigent families sharing the same water point.

23. What is the poverty index?
The poverty index is the City's new way of measuring poverty. It is a score out of 100 points - 70 points out of the 100 are based on a person's income and personal circumstances; the other 30 points are based on how deprived the area in which the person lives is compared to other areas in Joburg.

The higher a person's score, the poorer the City considers that person to be. The poverty score is therefore based on individual circumstances and the circumstances present in the area in which they live.

The poverty index allows the City to give different levels of help to people with different levels of need, and therefore give more help to those who need it most.

24. How do I work out my poverty score?
The Expanded Social Package system will work out your score based on the information attached to your ID number and your City address. 

You can work out the individual part of the score for yourself. The individual part of the score counts for 70 points out of 100.

Your score will be affected by:

a)       Your income - monthly or annual (include income from grants)

b)      Your number of official dependents. A dependent is

                                                          i.      A spouse earning less than R2 244,00 per month or R26 928,00 a year;

                                                          ii.      A dependent child under 18;

                                                          iii.      A child on behalf of whom you are receiving a social grant; and

                                                          iv.      A child for whom you pay maintenance.

c)       Whether you are receiving a pension or disability grant from the South African Social Security Agency (SASSA).

First, work out how many points you get based on your income.

•        If you earn more than R3 366,00 a month or R40 392,00 a year, your poverty score is automatically zero. If you earn less than this, you will get between one and 70 points based on your personal circumstances.

•        People who earn less than R2 244,00 a month or R26 928,00 a year are in the survival range of the poverty index and work out their income as follows:
  

  If you earn less than R2 244,00 a month or R26 928,00 a year and have no spouse your individual income for scoring is calculated by dividing your total income by yourself plus number of dependents.

  For example, if you are a single dad with two kids and no spouse earning R1 500 per month, your score on the index will be based on an income of R1 500 divided by three, equaling R500. You and your children therefore get maximum points since they have no income and are dependent on an indigent parent falling within the survival range income bracket.

•         If you have a spouse and you both earn less than R2 244,00 a month or R26 928,00 a year you work out your individual income for scoring on the index by dividing your total combined income by the total number of people who depend on that income.
  So if a mom and dad both earn R1 500 per month and have two kids under 18, they add their incomes together and divide by four. The parents are both scored as individuals with an income of R750. The parents and the kids, having no income and relying on indigent parents both earning in the survival range, receive maximum points.

•         If one spouse earns higher than R2 244,00 a month or R26 928,00 a year, that spouse is scored in the vulnerability range with points added according to the number of dependents (see below). The spouse earning in the survival range is scored on his or her income alone. The same procedure is followed for other dependents.

•         People who earn between R2 244,00 a month or R26 928,00 a year and R3 366,00 a month or R40 392,00 a year are in the vulnerability range of the poverty index and do not divide their income by their number of dependents. Instead, they are given extra points towards their score based on the number of dependents they have, according to the following formula:

•         If your income calculation comes to less than R593 per month or R7 116 per person per year, you get maximum points as an individual.

City of Johannesburg poverty index September 2008 - individual income scoring

Add 10 points to your score regardless, if you:

a)      Are receiving an old age grant from SASSA;

b)      Are receiving a disability grant from SASSA.