{"id":296197,"date":"2026-02-19T14:37:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?p=296197"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:37:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T12:37:54","slug":"major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/","title":{"rendered":"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Matjhabeng Local Municipality has implemented water and electricity disconnections to institutions with long-outstanding municipal accounts as part of a focused revenue enhancement drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation commenced at Bongani Hospital, R.H. Matjhabeng Hospital, the Welkom Traffic Department, the South African Police Service station in Virginia, and other defaulting institutions across the municipal area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Municipality is currently owed more than R1 billion by various institutions and sectors, including Bongani Hospital, R.H. Matjhabeng Hospital, government schools, government departments, and businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This intervention forms part of Operation Patala, an initiative aimed at improving the collection of municipal dues and advancing the implementation of the Municipality\u2019s Financial Recovery Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
RH Matjhabeng Hospital, outside of Welkom, Matjhabeng<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Strengthening revenue collection is essential to ensuring that the Municipality is financially stable and able to deliver services to residents with diligence, consistency and efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustainable service delivery depends on the timely payment of municipal accounts. Revenue collected from water, electricity, sanitation and other services is reinvested directly into infrastructure maintenance, repairs, fleet procurement, and the improvement of service standards across communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-payment places significant strain on operations and undermines the Municipality\u2019s ability to respond effectively to service delivery demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses, government institutions and residents are therefore strongly encouraged to make payment arrangements with the Municipality to avoid service interruptions due to non-payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Municipality remains committed to engaging constructively with account holders who demonstrate willingness to settle their debts responsibly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Residents and businesses are also urged to take advantage of Council\u2019s Debt Relief Programme through the Full and Final Settlement Campaign, which runs until March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under this campaign residential customers with outstanding balances of R30 000 and above qualify for a 40% discount if the full amount is paid once-off. Businesses and farms with accounts owing R100 000 and above also qualify for a 40% discount upon full, once-off settlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ALSO READ: Municipality refines efficiency(Opens in a new browser tab)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This incentive provides a valuable opportunity for customers to regularise their accounts, restore services where applicable, and contribute to the financial sustainability of the Municipality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a statement issued by the Matjhabeng Local Municipality they remain resolute in enforcing credit control measures fairly and consistently, while simultaneously providing relief mechanisms for those committed to resolving their accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collective effort of all stakeholders will ensure a financially stable municipality capable of delivering reliable services and building the Matjhabeng we want,\u201d said the spokesperson.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matjhabeng Local Municipality has initiated water and electricity disconnections for institutions with overdue accounts, part of Operation Patala to enhance revenue collection. Owed over R1 billion, the Municipality urges timely payments to ensure service delivery. A Debt Relief Programme offers discounts for settlements over specified amounts, encouraging responsible debt management.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":296198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"58","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"[\"water and electricity disconnections\"]","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"7970","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7970],"tags":[8900,9029,9028,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-296197","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-matjhabeng-local-municipality","tag-r1-billion","tag-services-cut-off","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nMajor cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality | Vista<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Matjhabeng Local Municipality has initiated water and electricity disconnections for institutions with overdue accounts, part of Operation Patala to enhance revenue collection. Owed over R1 billion, the Municipality urges timely payments to ensure service delivery. A Debt Relief Programme offers discounts for settlements over specified amounts, encouraging responsible debt management.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vista\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T12:37:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-19T12:37:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"259\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"194\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Marti Will\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Marti Will\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Marti Will\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956\"},\"headline\":\"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T12:37:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-19T12:37:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":411,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Bongani-hospital.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Matjhabeng Local Municipality\",\"R1 billion\",\"Services cut-off\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/\",\"name\":\"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality | Vista\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Bongani-hospital.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-19T12:37:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-19T12:37:54+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Bongani-hospital.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/Bongani-hospital.jpg\",\"width\":259,\"height\":194},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vista News\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/vista-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Vista News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VistaNewsNuus\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/vistanewspaper\"],\"description\":\"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\\\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.\",\"email\":\"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27573571304\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956\",\"name\":\"Marti Will\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Marti Will\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/vistanews\\\/author\\\/marti-will\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality | Vista","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality","og_description":"Matjhabeng Local Municipality has initiated water and electricity disconnections for institutions with overdue accounts, part of Operation Patala to enhance revenue collection. Owed over R1 billion, the Municipality urges timely payments to ensure service delivery. A Debt Relief Programme offers discounts for settlements over specified amounts, encouraging responsible debt management.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/","og_site_name":"Vista","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","article_published_time":"2026-02-19T12:37:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-19T12:37:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":259,"height":194,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Marti Will","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Marti Will","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/"},"author":{"name":"Marti Will","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956"},"headline":"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality","datePublished":"2026-02-19T12:37:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-19T12:37:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/"},"wordCount":411,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg","keywords":["Matjhabeng Local Municipality","R1 billion","Services cut-off","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/","name":"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality | Vista","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-19T12:37:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-19T12:37:54+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg","width":259,"height":194},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/major-cut-offs-as-more-than-r1-billion-owed-to-matjhabeng-local-municipality\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Major cut-offs as more than R1 billion owed to Matjhabeng Local Municipality"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","name":"Vista News","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#organization","name":"Vista News","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/vista-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Vista News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VistaNewsNuus","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/vistanewspaper"],"description":"Vista is a regional newspaper based in Welkom, the capital of Matjhabeng Municipality, in the central Free State. Vista, an English\/Afrikaans publication, first brought news to the community on 23 April 1971, with the following message on the front page: \u201cWe are here to write about the Goldfield and its people. We are here to serve the area in which we find ourselves, and with the help of our readers \u2013 who refine us with their constructive criticism.","email":"vistanews@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27573571304","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/#\/schema\/person\/5fcff7984992abaf4b29a15603295956","name":"Marti Will","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8fc11fdeaed1ad25e241ff69e1251e7b5aaa716191f8e7160d3f8bd61e465cf2?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Marti Will"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/author\/marti-will\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Bongani-hospital.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":49807,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/ag-report-indicates-a-net-loss-of-r1-billion-20240215\/","url_meta":{"origin":296197,"position":0},"title":"AG report indicates a net loss of R1 billion","author":"Vista","date":"15 February 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Matjhabeng is on the verge of bankruptcy and the Auditor General\u2019s (AG) qualified report has been described as a disaster.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1da6e0d5c4df46339dabfbddc99f1953.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1da6e0d5c4df46339dabfbddc99f1953.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1da6e0d5c4df46339dabfbddc99f1953.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/1da6e0d5c4df46339dabfbddc99f1953.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55239,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/couple-in-court-20221116\/","url_meta":{"origin":296197,"position":1},"title":"Couple in court","author":"Vista","date":"15 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Odendaalsrus couple caught with R89 000 worth of copper cable belonging to the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, have appeared in court, and the wife was released on R1 000 bail.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d9a6eaab61ea48ccaa7cfe07b13c49ee.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d9a6eaab61ea48ccaa7cfe07b13c49ee.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d9a6eaab61ea48ccaa7cfe07b13c49ee.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d9a6eaab61ea48ccaa7cfe07b13c49ee.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55661,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/couple-in-court-20221116-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":296197,"position":2},"title":"Couple in court","author":"Vista","date":"15 December 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Odendaalsrus couple caught with R89 000 worth of copper cable belonging to the Matjhabeng Local Municipality, have appeared in court, and the wife was released on R1 000 bail.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6369550637764b47a823ebb046b17cd1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6369550637764b47a823ebb046b17cd1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6369550637764b47a823ebb046b17cd1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6369550637764b47a823ebb046b17cd1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46989,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-suffers-non-compliance-20241002\/","url_meta":{"origin":296197,"position":3},"title":"Matjhabeng suffers non-compliance","author":"Vista","date":"3 October 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The Matjhabeng Local Municipality was made to sign an acknowledgement of a debt letter, and submit a payment plan to repay R67 146 000 that it received from the Department of Human Settlement.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6814c947be68477ab2a16e0b2f50800f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6814c947be68477ab2a16e0b2f50800f.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6814c947be68477ab2a16e0b2f50800f.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/6814c947be68477ab2a16e0b2f50800f.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79575,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-municipality-intensifies-revenue-collection-campaign\/","url_meta":{"origin":296197,"position":4},"title":"Matjhabeng Municipality intensifies revenue collection campaign","author":"Marti Will","date":"22 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Matjhabeng Municipality is enhancing revenue collection through Operation Patala, issuing cut-off notices, and engaging communities to ensure service sustainability.","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/PATALA.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":51890,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/matjhabeng-service-delivery-suffers-another-blow-20230922\/","url_meta":{"origin":296197,"position":5},"title":"Matjhabeng service delivery suffers another blow","author":"Vista","date":"26 September 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Virtually 80% of the beleaguered Matjhabeng fleet was returned to the municipality, and services resumed as normal on Friday morning.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da4e913484b14b0caa14f436c7fc1612.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da4e913484b14b0caa14f436c7fc1612.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da4e913484b14b0caa14f436c7fc1612.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/da4e913484b14b0caa14f436c7fc1612.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Vista","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296197","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=296197"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/296197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/296198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=296197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=296197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=296197"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=296197"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/vistanews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=296197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}