City Power technician disconnecting power from defaulting businesses. Photo: City of Joburg/ Facebook
PAY UP! Joburg inner city customers owing City Power R2.5 billion
City Power is owed a staggering amount of R2.5 billion by both business and residential defaulting customers within the Inner City.
City Power technician disconnecting power from defaulting businesses. Photo: City of Joburg/ Facebook
City Power returned to the inner city today, Thursday, 5 October, to crack down on defaulting, non-paying, and illegally connected businesses.
BUSINESSES DISCONNECTED BY CITY POWER TODAY
More than 10 businesses were disconnected from the power supply earlier today during the operation which aims to recoup over R33 million owed to the entity.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena revealed that the Inner City SDC is owed a staggering amount of R2.5 billion by both business and residential defaulting customers within the Inner City.
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THE ROUTE OF THE OPERATION
“The City Power Revenue Protection team started the operation at Fordsburg, Johannesburg where they disconnected a business that was illegally connecting themselves to our electricity network.
“Another building, which was a combination of a business and a residential building, on Simon Street, also in Fordsburg was found to have an unregistered 3-phase meter which was then disconnected by our cut-off team. In May Street, in Fordsburg, one business customer owed the utility around R2.6 million with a suspected two points of power supply,” Mangena explained.
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DEFAULTING BUSINESSES IN THER INNER CITY ADVISED
“Officials advised the customer to approach the Inner City Walk-in centre to make a payment arrangement after they disconnected them.”
Mangena
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He said since the start of their intensified revenue collection drives, they are seeing results, as defaulting customers approach the Inner-City walk-in centres once they’ve been cut off as they realise that they need power supply to operate their businesses.
“As a result, R1.4 million has already been collected through penalties alone during these operations. The cut-off drives remain the utilities’ last resort. We are calling on all defaulting customers to do the right thing and pay for the electricity they consume daily,” Mangena concluded.
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