2026 DEBT RELIEF PROGRAMME OPEN FOR QUALIFYING ACCOUNT HOLDERS.
Published: September 21, 2026<< BACK TO NEWS
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality would like to remind qualifying account holders that the 2026 Debt Relief Programme for municipal debt is open from 1 September 2026.
The Debt Relief Programme will accommodate municipal accounts that have arrears of more than 30 days as at 30 June 2026.
This time around, the Municipality has also decided to accommodate customers who currently have, or previously had, debt relief payment arrangements, subject to the applicable terms and conditions.
Qualifying customers may arrange to pay qualifying municipal debt over a period of 36 months.
The 2026 Debt Relief Programme opened on 1 September 2026, and applications will close on 31 December 2026.
Customers who already have an active payment arrangement, or who previously benefited from the 2025 Debt Relief Programme, may still apply for the 2026 Debt Relief Programme.
However, customers with an existing arrangement must continue to honour their current payment arrangement and pay their current account until their new application has been approved and the new terms and conditions have been confirmed by the Debtor Management Section.
The debt relief process will be done online by Debtor Management staff once the IT programming has been finalised. Therefore, for now, the Municipality will only accept application forms for processing.
Customers are required to submit their application forms in person at the Municipality’s customer service counters. Applications cannot be submitted telephonically or directly by email.
Once the application has been completed at the counters, the relevant documents will be scanned and emailed to accountrelief@mandelametro.gov.za.
The original documents, as with pensioners' rates rebate applications, must be listed and hand-delivered to Head Office. Head Office will then deliver the list and supporting applications to the Debtor Management Section and obtain a receipt signature. The original documentation is required for audit purposes.
Customers must continue paying their current account while their application is being processed.
A DO NOT CUT (DNC) will be placed on the accounts of customers who apply, with the initial date being 13 November 2026. Customers are advised to continue paying their current accounts until they receive communication from the Debtor Management Section regarding the online processing of their application.
The DNC will automatically be extended every two months until the online programming is finalised, provided that the current accounts are paid, in line with the process currently used for queries.
The account holders apply must submit the following documents:
- Application form
- Checklist
- Supporting documents
Account holders who are experiencing difficulties in settling their municipal debt are encouraged to make use of the Debt Relief Programme, provided they meet the qualifying requirements and comply with the applicable terms and conditions.
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