The City of Johannesburg is escalating its campaign against non-payment for services by announcing plans to physically remove electricity meters and related equipment from the properties of persistent defaulters.
This aggressive move targets residential customers who have accrued a combined debt of R978 million. According to the metro, more than 1,300 households have been identified for persistent non-payment over the last 13 months.
Malope Ramagaga, the City of Johannesburg’s Acting Group Head for Revenue and Shared Services, provided context for the crackdown in a recent interview. He revealed that the city is facing a colossal total debt of R65 billion, a situation he described as having been allowed to “spiral out of control.”
Ramagaga explained that the identification of these specific defaulters was made possible by an upgrade to the city’s billing system. The new system uncovered a significant portion of accounts that had “slipped through the cracks,” with some not being billed or touched for up to a decade.
“These customers have all the services that are provided by the city: electricity, water, refuse, sewer, and rates. They have all of it,” Ramagaga stated, highlighting that these households continued to receive services despite not paying for over a year.
The campaign is not limited to residential areas. Ramagaga confirmed that the list of 144,000 customers who collectively owe R12 billion includes businesses of all sizes, from large corporations and medium-sized enterprises to body corporates and office parks. He emphasized that the crackdown is spread across the city, affecting affluent suburbs, townships, and gated communities alike.
The acting group head acknowledged that the city’s own inefficiencies, including estimated billing and faulty meters, have historically eroded public trust and led to disputes. However, he urged customers with queries to continue paying an average amount based on past usage while their issues are resolved through a dedicated project, named ‘Project Lulisa,’ designed to address billing complaints.
The city plans to follow a process before taking action, which includes sending physical letters, emails, and making phone calls. Ramagaga also revealed that corruption within the system is being addressed, with consequence management underway for city employees who accept bribes to avoid disconnections.
He directly linked the recovery of owed funds to improved service delivery. “With this amount that we are planning to pick up, we are going to put it in service delivery where the infrastructure will then be improved,” Ramagaga said, referring to ongoing maintenance by entities like Johannesburg Water and City Power.
The city’s approach will include an oversight role for the MMC for Finance, Loyiso Masuku, who is expected to join officials on the ground, potentially leading to the public naming of non-compliant businesses as early as October.
The removal of infrastructure is described as a “last resort,” but the city is proceeding with the support of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) and other security services to ensure the operation is carried out.