High-quality data is at the core of the indigent-management solutions offered by Gensize Consulting Services. With reliable data to hand, municipalities can plan their revenue streams and poor communities can receive essential services.
Indigent management is a system whereby the assistance given to individuals and households who cannot afford basic services is administered. The process takes place within national legislative guidelines but is administered at local level by municipalities.
Purpose and impact
Free or heavily subsidised services create a safety net for vulnerable residents. Unemployed people, pensioners or children living in child-headed households receive access to water, electricity, sanitation and waste removal, which helps to reduce the poverty gap and supports social justice.
Illegal and dangerous connections to the electricity grid are less likely in a system where the indigent system is functioning well, thus contributing to social stability and better public-health outcomes.
Gensize Consulting Services is helping to create an ecosystem where municipalities better manage debt and can rely on data to manage income streams – and where citizens in need receive basic services.
Why indigent management matters
The effective management that Gensize offers through integrated data management and various systems is important in assisting municipalities to:
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- Ensure equitable access to basic services for vulnerable households.
- Prevent fraud, abuse and over-subsidisation.
- Protect municipal revenue and sustainability.
- Improve transparency and community trust.
- Support constitutional obligations to provide basic services in a sustainable manner.
- Assist municipalities in planning their revenue streams.
- Provide a revenue-collection structure through proven methodologies.
What we do
We provide reliable, efficient and effective data-management systems that integrate with financial systems.
Indigent management system
The identification and registration of indigent households is a vital first step, ensuring that clearly defined eligibility criteria are followed. These include employment status, income, property ownership and social circumstances.
In cases where these criteria are met, the subsidisation of basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, refuse removal and sometimes property rates takes place in line with municipal policy and national legislation.
Once the data is verified, the data is further managed. Indigent reports are presented on a dashboard where municipal officials can keep track in real time of elements in the system.
Data verification
Various methodologies support the systems: documentation checks, data validation and household visits all play a role in checking that data is correct and that only households that qualify receive indigent benefits.
Data management system
An indigent register needs to be regularly updated, reviewed and audited to ensure that the data remains relevant and trustworthy.
mSCOA services
The Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (mSCOA) is a national standard to which municipalities must adhere, relating to standardised budgeting, transacting and reporting across seven segments.
Gensize trains officials in these procedures and in the application of legislation such as the Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Advantages
The advantages of implementing a good indigent management system operated by Gensize Consuling Services include:
- Pro-poor administration: It directly reduces the poverty gap by ensuring that essential services are not denied to those in need.
- Revenue management: It allows local governments to manage debt legally, distinguishing between residents who cannot pay and those who choose not to pay.
- Social stability: By providing access to water and sanitation, it reduces the risk of illegal, dangerous connections and promotes public health.
Training for financial sustainability
Based on extensive research and the training of officials in local government, a common issue across local government institutions was identified – how financially strained they are and how they struggle with financial sustainability. These insights led to the following services being designed to limit and eradicate financial constraints:
- Revenue enhancements
- Effective debt collection
- Data cleansing
After setting up solutions related to improved revenue and improving data quality in local government, another problem emerged, namely the pressing need for Continuous Professional Development for officials in local government.
To serve this need, a training and development centre was created to equip officials through world-class training. It is our goal to deliver the highest-quality training services through sheer will and professionalism.
Consideration is given to the latest trends in technology and the newest updates in legislation governing local government to ensure that officials are always up to date with the latest requirements and obligations. Our training covers the following:
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- Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA)
- Generally Recognised Accounting Principles (GRAP)
- Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (mSCOA)
- Risk management
- Specialised revenue cycle
- And many more
Specialists who excel
Gensize Consulting Services aims to make an impact on the lives of South African citizens. We do this by providing reliable data to municipalities and being excellent indigent-management specialists.
Contact details
1021 Menlyn Maine, Waterkloof, Pretoria 0181
Tel: +27 66 269 7968
Email: info@gensize.co.za
Website: www.gensize.co.za
Read an interview in Opportunity magazine with Gensize Consulting Services Founder and CEO Zeus Maboho on the origins of the financial-solutions company, and what sparked his interest in the field of indigent management.
