City Power cuts electricity to NSFAS-funded flats owing over R12 million in Joburg CBD
Mapaballo Borotho
- City Power has disconnected two NSFAS-funded student accommodations in Joburg for owing over R12 million in electricity bills.
- The disconnections form part of a citywide debt recovery campaign targeting non-paying customers.
- Officials say City Power is owed more than R10 billion across residential, business, and large power users.
Two NSFAS-funded student accommodation flats in Johannesburg have been disconnected from the electricity grid for owing more than R12 million to City Power.
The accommodation facilities, located along Lillian Ngoyi Street, owe the municipality R6 million and R6.4 million in electricity charges, respectively.
“The two are from the same account holder who receives allowances from NSFAS but does not pay for municipal services,” said City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena.
The disconnections, which also included nightclubs and other businesses, took place as part of the City of Johannesburg Mayoral CEO Clean-Up Campaign on Wednesday, 12 November 2025.
“City Power used this event as part of its efforts to recover more than R10 billion owed to the utility, including R3.2 billion from defaulting residential and business customers, as well as Large Power Users (LPUs) within the Inner City supply areas,” Mangena added.
The Joburg energy supplier is actively disconnecting non-paying customers and removing illegal connections across the Inner City and Braamfontein precincts.
“The first property disconnected as part of today’s campaign owed the utility R4.5 million in unpaid electricity bills. The second property, a well-known nightclub in Hillbrow owing R4.5 million, had defaulted on an Acknowledgement of Debt (AOD) agreement issued in October 2025 after paying only R60,000. At the third property, illegal connections were successfully dismantled along Esselen Street. At the fourth building, a prominent LPU had installed a prepaid meter instead of the required postpaid meter,” said Mangena.
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