Latest news with #R41.3
The Star
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
City's warning to residents: Don't use unofficial 'runners' when seeking help at municipal offices
The City of Tshwane has warned residents not to pay officials or make use of unofficial 'runners' when visiting its offices to attend to municipal accounts issues. Pleased with the figures showing it successfully collected R40.5 billion in cash revenue for the 2024/25 financial year, achieving an 'impressive' 98% of its funding plan target of R41.3 billion. The City sent out a statement updating residents and thanking them for their contribution. The City said June marked a record-breaking month with revenue collections reaching 106% of the monthly target. The City collected R3.671 billion, surpassing a target of R3.465 billion, further strengthening the City's financial outlook. Part of the success was attributed to the implementation of an incentive and amnesty campaign to help residents struggling with accounts payments running from March to May. Residents were assisted in settling their municipal accounts debts and regularising tampered meters and other services issues. A total of 20,075 customers came forward to normalise their meters while 85,361 benefited from a R2.417 billion debt write-off. Additionally, 31,540 inactive accounts totalling R1.835 billion were cleared, and 1,076 customers with R154 million in debt entered into settlement agreements with the municipality.
IOL News
09-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
City's warning to residents: Don't use unofficial 'runners' when seeking help at municipal offices
A legal battle looms for later this month over the City of Tshwane's special "cleansing" levy, where households not using the municipal bin services will face paying a special levy. Other than this challenge, things are looking positive for the City's drive to improve revenue collection and the management of finances that are key to service delivery. Image: File The City of Tshwane has warned residents not to pay officials or make use of unofficial 'runners' when visiting its offices to attend to municipal accounts issues. Pleased with the figures showing it successfully collected R40.5 billion in cash revenue for the 2024/25 financial year, achieving an 'impressive' 98% of its funding plan target of R41.3 billion. The City sent out a statement updating residents and thanking them for their contribution. The City said June marked a record-breaking month with revenue collections reaching 106% of the monthly target. The City collected R3.671 billion, surpassing a target of R3.465 billion, further strengthening the City's financial outlook. Part of the success was attributed to the implementation of an incentive and amnesty campaign to help residents struggling with accounts payments running from March to May. Residents were assisted in settling their municipal accounts debts and regularising tampered meters and other services issues. A total of 20,075 customers came forward to normalise their meters while 85,361 benefited from a R2.417 billion debt write-off. Additionally, 31,540 inactive accounts totalling R1.835 billion were cleared, and 1,076 customers with R154 million in debt entered into settlement agreements with the municipality. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'The City extends its sincere gratitude to all paying customers and stakeholders. Your commitment and support have directly contributed to these results and enabled the City to deliver reliable and quality services across all regions of Tshwane,' Deputy Executive Mayor Eugene Modise said in a statement. He warned residents against the illegal use of services and tampering with infrastructure, which are criminal offences and undermine service delivery. Residents experiencing financial challenges were encouraged to visit the City to explore available assistance and payment options, but the City warned them against paying municipal employees and using unofficial 'runners' for assistance. Just over a month ago, Modise hailed the passing of the Metro's first fully-funded budget in years as a 'turning point' for the City's finances and service delivery capabilities. In the last financial year the City has been on a drive to turn around its finances – which were in a dire state due to theft and nonpayment for services and governance issues. While revenue collection has improved, there are still some issues, including the controversial cleansing levy – part of the 2025/26 budget - that has been taken to court.
The Citizen
03-07-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
‘Clear sign of financial discipline' – Tshwane collects R40.5bn in revenue
The City of Tshwane collected R40.5 billion in 2024/25, reaching 98% of its revenue target. The City of Tshwane has announced a major financial milestone, collecting R40.5 billion in revenue during the 2024/25 financial year, 98% of its annual funding target of R41.3 billion. Deputy mayor Eugene Modise described the achievement as a 'clear sign of growing civic cooperation and financial discipline' within the capital. 'This significant achievement reaffirms Tshwane's commitment to financial sustainability, responsible governance, and improved service delivery to all communities,' said Modise. Record-breaking June for the Capital June 2025 proved to be a standout month, with revenue collections reaching 106% of the monthly target. The city collected R3.671 billion, surpassing the R3.465 billion goal by R205 million. This monthly surplus helped reduce the city's projected annual shortfall from R989 million to R784 million. Programme drives results Part of the success has been attributed to an Incentive Scheme and Amnesty Programme introduced in March and running through May. The initiative offered residents opportunities to settle arrears, correct irregularities and re-activate dormant services. Key results from the programme include: 20 075 customers came forward to normalise tampered meters. 85 361 customers benefited from a R2.417 billion debt write-off. 31 540 inactive accounts worth R1.835 billion were cleared. 1 076 customers with R154 million in debt entered into settlement agreements. ALSO READ: Tshwane officials arrested for theft of transformer in Laudium Residents and employees recognised Modise expressed gratitude to Tshwane residents and city employees for their collective role in improving the metro's financial position. 'Your commitment and support have directly contributed to these results and enabled the city to deliver reliable and quality services across all regions of Tshwane,' he said. He also praised city staff across various departments, including customer care, infrastructure, and waste management, for their 'tireless' efforts. ALSO READ: Tshwane to consider demolishing houses in illegal developments Call for continued partnership Residents were reminded to avoid illegal connections, which are a criminal offence, and to report tampering. The City also encouraged residents facing financial challenges to use official channels, such as the e-Tshwane platform and Customer Care Touch Points. 'Paying for municipal services is both a civic duty and a vital contribution to the development of our shared future,' said Modise. NOW READ: Tshwane goes to court in bid to douse volunteer firefighting services
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Billions' worth of weight loss and diabetes medications reached SA shelves and patients in 2024
International tracking data revealed the monetary value of the prescription meds distributed in South Africa. The staggering cost of prescription medications distributed in South Africa has shed light on the nation's physical and mental well-being. Data shows that USD2.28 billion worth of prescription medications – R41.3 billion based on this week's exchange rate – were distributed in South Africa in 2024. Physical health is tied to mental health, with a previous government study stating that 16% of the population was suffering from mental health issues. Ozempic and diabetes The list of the top 20 medications distributed in the country accounted for R5.7 billion of the total, with the remaining pharmaceutical treatments amounting to R35.6 billion. The figures were shared with The Citizen by IQVIA, a leading international healthcare data and analytics firm. Medications for diabetes and weight loss made up roughly 30% of the top 20 medications, with HIV-related medications accounting for a further 20%. At least R3.4 billion worth of diabetic or weight loss medications reached shelves and patients, with top-seller Ozempic accounting for R636 million of that figure. The remaining leaders of prescription medications were for cancer treatments, antibiotics, renal care and arthritis. The Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) stated in 2024 that over 50% of South Africans were overweight or obese. 'Carrying excess weight poses a number of health risks. It increases the dangers of high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea, and respiratory problems,' stated the HSRC. Counselling before meds Psychologists have illustrated the link between physical and mental well-being, stressing that alternatives to medications exist. 'We do know that Ozempic works on that addictive part of the brain, and we do have a big eating issue in South Africa,' said counselling psychologist Ereen Mitchell. 'We have a lack of understanding of what is good for us in terms of food and people get frustrated at the lack of information, which leads to a reliance on medications,' Mitchell told The Citizen. The Florida-based psychologist said she takes a holistic, multidisciplinary approach with her patients, working with their doctors to ensure the patients are honest about their intake. 'We see how the patient can set out a better eating plan and a better lifestyle and what can be achieved in steps,' Mitchell said, adding that it was one part of a larger treatment method. When considering medication, Mitchell said it was dependent on the individual and is designed to be a short-term approach, but adds that patients are prone to not sticking to their prescriptions. Only when symptoms severe Like Mitchell, Dr. Donny Fick from Meldene Medicross said medication for mental health conditions is typically considered when symptoms are moderate to severe, or when the patient's safety is at risk. 'For mild cases, counselling, therapy and lifestyle changes are usually tried first. In the acute phase of managing stress and anxiety, we use anxiolytics like benzodiazepine,' Dr Fick told The Citizen. 'Note that these are for short-term use and should be prescribed with caution as they are habit-forming,' he added. 'If they need further medical intervention after the acute phase, or longer-term treatment, we will then use antidepressants. Some of those could cause weight gain and a loss of libido,' he explained. Stats 'underestimated' Fedhealth Principal Officer Jeremy Yatt stated that 3991 of their members had a chronic registration for depression and depression with no psychosis. This accounted for 4% of their clients, while a further 2% were registered to receive prescriptions for bipolar mood disorder and generalised anxiety disorder. The scheme also serves a portion of members with other mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. 'These figures are underestimated, as not all plan options cover out-of-hospital medication for depression, which is not considered a chronic disease list,' Yatt told The Citizen. 'Not all patients seek assistance either and stats show that woman are more likely to register for support for mental health,' he added. Fedhealth paid out R5.8 million for depression medication, with the top three medications being Lexamil, Cilift and Nuzak. Fedhealth showed that admission to wellness facilities costs roughly R28 000 on average, and the average stay for mental health support lasts 10 days. Mental health figures While the rate of admission had dropped between 2023 and 2024, the National Planning Commission stated in 2024 that nearly 16% of the population suffered some sort of mental health issues. Additionally, Discovery Health had previously stated that payouts for mental health-related issues had increased by 224% over a ten-year period. Discovery told The Citizen that 58% of their clients claiming for mental health issues do so for antidepressants, while 22% are on anxiolytics, and 20% take antipsychotics. Of those being treated for depression, 50% take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, while 88% of those being treated for anxiety take benzodiazepine derivatives. Alternatives The psychologists suggested counselling, mindfulness practices, yoga or in severe cases psychotherapy, as alternatives to medication. Mitchell suggested sleep, exercise, cognitive behavioural therapies (CBTs), interpersonal therapies and even exposure to hallucinogenic treatments in extreme cases. 'CBTs involve integrating your emotions and your thoughts and evaluating how that alters your behaviour by replacing negative thoughts with more adaptive thoughts,' Mitchell said. On how to avoid prescription medication abuse by a patient, Dr Fick said it was important to closely monitor the situation. 'This is in the hands of the prescribing doctor, not to overprescribe. It is vital to council appropriately and to do regular follow-ups and check-ups,' he concluded. NOW READ: More than half of SA employees diagnosed with mental health issues linked to work
