City Power moves non-vending prepaid customers in Johannesburg to postpaid billing

Mapaballo Borotho

City Power will convert non-vending prepaid users in Johannesburg to postpaid billing from 12 November 2025.
The move aims to curb illegal connections, recover revenue, and improve billing accuracy.
Customers who block meter audits risk disconnection and penalties, with postpaid users facing monthly charges of around R900.

City Power customers who are using the non-vending prepaid system in Johannesburg will be converted to postpaid billing accounts as of Wednesday, 12 November 2025.

The energy supplier says this conversion will help the power utility reduce revenue loss, address issues related to tampered meters and illegal connections, and advance a broader programme aimed at improving billing accuracy across its area of supply.

Isaac Mangena, Spokesperson for City Power, says this intervention is also about ensuring that residents are responsible and pay for the electricity they use.

“The conversion process, which will continue until 31 December 2025, affects more than 2,318 prepaid customers who have already been identified as non-vending. We are doing this to enable us to recover money owed in accordance with the bylaws. The bylaws say we should disconnect illegally connected electricity and also backdate charges to not beyond 36 months,” Mangena explained.

Currently, on prepaid, City Power is not able to backdate, which allows customers to get away with bypassing and non-payment.

Mangena says once the new billing system is implemented, it will allow credit recovery measures to take effect, which may include blacklisting after all necessary processes have been exhausted.

“In parallel, City Power teams will continue conducting stand-by-stand meter audits across the city to identify additional customers who are not vending or whose prepaid meters may have been bridged. Once converted to postpaid, customers’ electricity usage will be billed monthly and reflected on their City of Johannesburg statements, which will be due for payment as per standard postpaid billing terms. This will also include a monthly service charge and network capacity charge of approximately R900,” Mangena said.

He encouraged electricity users to settle their accounts promptly to avoid being disconnected from the grid.

“Customers who refuse access to meter technicians conducting audits risk having their electricity supply disconnected, and reconnection fees and penalties will apply,” Mangena added.