By: Natasha Archary

City Power will collapse if the utility scraps the R200 prepaid electricity surcharge which hit Johannesburg residents hard from 01 July.
This according to City Power Board Chair, Bonolo Ramokhele who said the monthly fee is necessary in order to maintain infrastructure.
According to Ramokhele every municipality across the country has similar charges, and residents were warned a few years ago that this charge would be put into effect.
It was just a matter of time, and the amount was left undecided until residents were shocked when they bought prepaid electricity at the start of the month and the R200 was deducted from their purchase.
Political parties such as ActionSA and the Democratic Alliance (DA) are against the additional fee and want it scrapped immediately.
The DA has started an online petition to scrap the R200 electricity surcharge.
“We believe that all residents of Johannesburg should be treated fairly and not bear the brunt of the City’s inability to manage finances.
Good governance is non-negotiable. We have therefore written to the MMC of Finance to urgently review or do away with this electricity tariff surcharge and provide clarity on the business surcharge and how it will be utilised to the benefit of residents.”
Meanwhile, ActionSA urges the City of Johannesburg to embark on an aggressive revenue collection to offset the future need to increase the City’s already significant debt burden,
The party welcomes the commitment from the MMC for Finance, Dada Morero to review the R200 electricity surcharge following immense pressure from residents.
“@Action4SA welcomes the commitment from the MMC for Finance to review the R200 electricity surcharge following immense pressure from residents, which we ensured featured prominently in
— ActionSA JHB Caucus (@ActionSA_JHB) July 25, 2024
Council”.@cllr_mthembu pic.twitter.com/Qa6IVapIoA
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