JoburgCAN notes the resignation of City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava, who is set to leave at the end of March 2026 after a decade at the entity.
Mashava’s exit comes at a sensitive moment for Johannesburg’s electricity utility, which is under severe financial strain and operational pressure, and needs stable, high quality leadership to sustain any turnaround gains.
JoburgCAN Executive Manager Julia Fish said City Power has presented councillors with what stakeholders have viewed as a frank assessment of the utility’s challenges and reform needs, and warned that leadership instability could derail implementation and weaken accountability.
“We believe the process to replace her must be open and transparent as this is a critical position in the city.
“JoburgCAN has engaged with the now outgoing CEO on multiple occasions, including in the Presidential Working Group on power, and have found her to be amenable to partnership and community participation in the turnaround of City Power. We hope her replacement is equally open to such partnerships,” said Fish.
Fish said Mashava’s departure may complicate ongoing reform efforts, as institutional memory and continuity are critical in an entity dealing with complex operational and financial challenges, citing her decade of service.
“The entity is under severe financial strain. They have a considerable debt and owe Eskom, the bulk supplier, money from a dispute that arose last year, and they are struggling with decreasing collection rates, both due to illegal connections and people who have gone off the City Power grid because of historical supply issues. This makes it a very difficult job to fill,” said Fish.
JoburgCAN acknowledged the public scrutiny faced by the utility in recent years, and said stabilising leadership is essential to restore confidence and protect an essential service.
JoburgCAN is the Johannesburg Community Action Network, a civic platform that works with resident associations, community groups, and civil society partners to strengthen accountability and improve basic services in the City of Johannesburg through constructive engagement, evidence-based advocacy, and public participation.
Media enquiries:
Jonathan Erasmus, JoburgCAN media coordinator 073 227 6075