Johannesburg residents could face electricity interruptions from 8 July if the City of Johannesburg does not settle more than R5.2 billion in outstanding payments owed to Eskom.
The warning comes after the power utility said both the City of Johannesburg and its electricity distributor, City Power, have failed to keep up with a court-approved payment arrangement covering historic debt as well as ongoing electricity accounts.
Eskom said the municipality had been missing payment deadlines since November 2024, with the situation deteriorating after it fell more than a month behind on its current account obligations.
Johannesburg Power Cuts Could Begin In July
Agnes Mlambo, Eskom’s Acting Group Executive for Distribution, said the utility was still in discussions with the city in an effort to resolve the issue and avoid widespread disruptions.
“It is important that you maintain the payments that are due to Eskom… It is important for us that we continue to supply electricity to the country. So, this is not about punishment.
“When we do the cut-off, we do not cut off 100% of the areas at the same time. It is meant to be progressive from day one, and then obviously if we do not find any remedy to the situation, it will then cover the whole city, but remember some of the customers within the city are directly supplied by Eskom, and those are the customers that will not be affected by the debt and by this process.
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“We have just celebrated 365 days without load shedding, and that can only be possible if all our customers pay for the electricity we supply, so that we can make sure that we sustain this operational success and make sure that none of our customers is negatively affected by any non-payment. So, at this point, we are engaging with the City; we are looking for solutions.”
Mlambo said any disconnections would be introduced in phases rather than affecting all parts of Johannesburg simultaneously.
Eskom Says Debt Recovery Is Needed To Protect Electricity Supply
Mlambo said the utility’s decision to consider supply interruptions was intended to stop the debt burden from increasing further and to safeguard the country’s electricity network.
According to Eskom, municipalities across South Africa collectively owe the utility around R111 billion.
The power supplier also disclosed that 61 municipalities are not complying with the conditions attached to debt relief measures designed to help local governments manage their arrears.
Municipal Debt Continues To Challenge Eskom
The dispute with Johannesburg comes as Eskom continues to grapple with mounting municipal debt, which remains one of the utility’s major financial challenges.
The company has stressed that regular payments are essential to maintaining operational stability and ensuring it can continue supplying electricity reliably across South Africa.
