Several government buildings and state-owned entities in Johannesburg lost power after the city cut their electricity for unpaid bills exceeding R1.4 billion. Mayor Dada Morero stated the move has the Gauteng Premier's approval to recover the debt.
The City of Johannesburg has disconnected electricity to multiple government departments and state-owned enterprises (SOEs) across the city due to non-payment. These entities jointly owe over R1.4 billion to the municipality.
Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero affirmed that government customers must pay for services received, just like others. "We’ve now taken the step to cut off these buildings so that we can push them to come forward and pay what they have been owing. The Premier has given us the go ahead. We can then take action as required. Now we are doing exactly that, and we are taking action to collect the R1.4 billion," Morero said, according to SABC News.
The disconnections follow the Gauteng Premier's authorisation, enabling the city to enforce payment collection. This action targets defaulting public sector buildings left without power.