GOOD Statement by Matthew Cook, GOOD Councillor and Chairperson of the S79 Finance Committee in the City of Johannesburg:
GOOD National Chairperson and Chairperson of the Section 79 Finance Committee in the City of Joburg, Matthew Cook, is urging residents across the metro to participate in the upcoming Regional Online Debt Relief Engagements hosted by the City of Johannesburg between 18 February and 12 March 2026.
These online sessions are designed to help residents understand the City’s debt relief and financial assistance programmes, the qualifying criteria, and the step-by-step application process. Each engagement will be hosted by region, allowing residents to receive targeted guidance and ask questions directly to officials responsible for implementation.
I have seen firsthand the level of financial distress many households are facing. We regularly encounter residents who are desperate for relief but are simply unaware that support programmes exist. The City already has mechanisms to assist struggling households; the problem is that too many people don’t know about them or don’t know how to access them.
I have consistently pushed the departments to strengthen public education around debt relief and indigent support programmes. The upcoming online engagements are a direct response to that pressure and represent an important opportunity for residents to take action.
Residents have insisted that the City must do more outreach. Now the opportunity has arrived, and we need residents to respond. Debt relief is not automatic; it requires an application. These sessions will guide residents through the process and answer any questions they have regarding the programmes.
This is about restoring dignity, protecting families from spiralling debt, and strengthening the financial health of the municipality at the same time. It is a partnership between the City and its residents.
I further encourage all community organisations and civic leaders to help spread awareness of these sessions, especially among vulnerable households.
No resident should carry the burden of debt alone when assistance is available. I strongly urge every qualifying household to attend their regional session and apply. Relief is possible, but only if residents step forward.
Details of regional session dates and access links are available on the City’s official communication platforms and below.
GOOD Manifesto on Economic Policy: Advocating for a mixed economy that supports both private and public sectors.
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Fun South African Fact: South African Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the world’s first heart transplant on 3 December 1967 at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. The groundbreaking surgery was carried out on Louis Washkansky and Dr. Barnard was assisted by a large and exceptional team of surgeons, nurses and technicians. One of Dr. Barnard’s assistants was Hamilton Naki, a black laboratory assistant who had worked previously as a gardener and went on to work in the animal laboratory at the University of Cape Town. He had assisted Dr Barnard with research leading to the transplant. In the apartheid days, Naki had no access to higher education due to his race. Despite being unable to access formal training, he learned from and assisted university researchers and went on to do incredible work.