Residents must not be punished for the City’s failures.
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JoburgCAN welcomes Eskom’s decision to extend the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act consultation process on the City of Johannesburg and City Power electricity account by 30 days, saying the extension gives residents a fairer opportunity to participate in a process with serious consequences for Johannesburg.
JoburgCAN managing director Julia Fish said the extension reflects the scale of public concern and the need for proper, meaningful consultation where residents and businesses may be affected by the city and City Power’s failure to manage their electricity account responsibly.
See Eskom’s statement here.
“This extension is important and welcome. It shows that public participation matters and that residents must not be rushed through a process that could affect electricity supply to parts of Johannesburg. The real frustration lies with the city and City Power, whose failure to manage this debt has placed paying residents, businesses and communities in this position,” said Fish.
JoburgCAN actively collected and submitted more than 250 public submissions in real time through its purpose-built submission platform. The platform was designed to ensure each submission was unique and reflected the concerns of individual residents. Many of those submissions raised serious concern about the original deadline of 17 June 2026 and the lack of clear, accessible information available to the public.
“This is not just an accounting dispute between Eskom and City Power. It affects households, businesses, schools, clinics and the wider Johannesburg economy. Residents who pay their municipal accounts should not be treated as collateral damage for the city’s poor financial management and repeated failure to prioritise essential service payments,” said Fish.
JoburgCAN notes Eskom’s statement that it will not sign another payment arrangement because the existing settlement agreement remains enforceable. If that agreement is still binding and central to this process, JoburgCAN believes it must be made public to support proper participation.
“Residents need to know what was agreed, what was breached, what payment terms apply, and what safeguards exist to prevent this crisis from repeating. Transparency is essential if the public is expected to participate meaningfully,” said Fish.
JoburgCAN again calls for electricity revenue collected by City Power and the city to be ring-fenced, including all relevant network charges, so that money paid by residents for electricity is protected and used to stabilise payments to Eskom.
“Johannesburg needs a transparent, enforceable payment system that prevents electricity revenue from being swallowed by the city’s wider financial crisis. Ring-fencing must be part of the solution. The city and City Power must show residents that money paid for electricity is being used to keep the lights on,” said Fish.
JoburgCAN urges residents, businesses and affected organisations to use the extended deadline to make submissions before 17 July 2026.
“This extra time matters. Residents must use it to make their voices heard and to demand accountability from the city and City Power,” said Fish.
For media queries contact Jonathan Erasmus on 0732276075