City Power Aims to Recover R1.6 Billion from Hursthill Service Delivery Centre
Johannesburg – In an effort to recover over R1.5 billion, City Power has disconnected electricity supply to customers who have failed to pay, including one customer whose arrears have exceeded two million rand, as part of the Hursthill Service Delivery Centre (SDC) initiative.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena addressed the disconnections on Saturday, 5 July 2025, explaining: “One notable case involved a residential property located on Grange Street in Hursthill.”
According to Mangena, this property, which operates as both a spaza shop and a rental unit, “was disconnected due to arrears surpassing R2 million after multiple instances of obstructing meter audits.”
He further mentioned that the customer’s account was also overdue with other municipal entities, resulting in a level 2 disconnection.
Moreover, two additional disconnections occurred in the same suburb on St. Ermins and Threadneedle streets, accumulating nearly R700,000 in total debt.
“The customer on St. Ermins was found to have bypassed the electricity meter, while the Threadneedle property had previously obstructed City Power technicians from performing meter audits,” Mangena clarified.
“Both situations underwent Level 3 disconnections in line with our enforcement policies.”
“City Power stresses that tampering with meters is illegal and poses safety risks, potentially leading to prosecution, disconnection, and confiscation of electrical equipment.”
In Auckland Park, a hijacked property with over R1.7 million in debt lacked a legal municipal connection, whereas another account on Ditton Road was overdue for nearly R850,000.
Mangena explained that the intensified revenue collection efforts aim not only to recover funds but also to restore the utility’s ability to deliver consistent and quality services to its customers.
The Hursthill SDC services 46,141 customers across 11 wards, with 19,880 on postpaid plans and 26,033 on prepaid plans.
Additionally, it supports 228 Large Power Users (LPUs).
Mangena noted that City Power “successfully executed” the targeted revenue collection operation in Hursthill, Auckland Park, and Northcliff on Friday, 4 July 2025.
“This operation signifies the launch of a weekly campaign aimed at recovering R1.6 billion in unpaid electricity bills from defaulting residential and business customers associated with the Hursthill Service Delivery Centre (SDC),” Mangena remarked.
Malcolm de Lange, General Manager at Hursthill SDC, commented on the campaign: “This renewed effort not only addresses outstanding debts but also improves our capacity to reinvest in crucial infrastructure upgrades and enhance service reliability for all customers in our supply areas.”
“We will continue our efforts to recover R1.6 billion in electricity debt, sending a clear message to customers at risk of disconnection.”
De Lange encouraged: “We urge our residential and business customers to act responsibly, pay for the services they use, and visit the SDCs to update their accounts and arrange payments.”
