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

2. An indigent policy should define:
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 municipality’s approach to dealing with poverty (plan)
A municipality’s 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

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. DEPARTMENT’S 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 CDW’s
Developing M&E 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.