In an attempt to recover R37 million that was owed to the City, representatives of Johannesburg City Power and a small group of Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) officers broke into five residences by turning off the electricity.
In an aggressive effort to collect money, City Power has started turning off electricity to customers who have fallen behind on their bills and severing unauthorized connections where customers had circumvented meters.
Yeoville’s North Hill apartments received the wrath of the city on Friday after being disconnected for almost R2.2 million in unpaid debt. Additionally, the team went to Hillbrow’s Yettah Street and disconnected Safari Court, which owes over R16 million.
Additionally, it was discovered that they had rejoined on the City’s network without authorization. After accruing over R2.9 million in arrears, Damelin College in Braamfontein was shut off for inadequate payment of its electrical bill. The City declared that it will continue to disconnect non-paying clients since their noncompliance makes it difficult to provide necessary services.
“Getting the money is what we want most of all. About R37 million is the total amount we anticipate collecting today, according to Mmaphuti Makgabo, customer service manager for City Power.
The power company visited Midrand at the beginning of this month to turn off the energy at several apartment complexes. The goal, according to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, was to recover R50 million, but Midrand alone owed more than R350 million.
Read also: On Monday, There Will be an Eight-Hour Power Outage in Certain Parts of Johannesburg
He stated, “quite regretfully,” that City Power typically discovers that residential building renters would be responsible for paying their electrical bills to property management utility providers. But those property managers don’t pay the organization, which is concerning because it impacts paying renters. At the time, Mangena stated, “We strongly condemn that behavior and urge tenants to hold their body corporates accountable for this.”
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