By Thebe Mabanga
City of Johannesburg entities, City Power and Johannesburg Water, will launch a three-day operation from Wednesday to Friday targeting 20 chronic defaulters to recover R100 million in arrears.
The defaulters include commercial and industrial customers owing City Power R41 million and Johannesburg Water R69 million.
“The City of Johannesburg will intensify its revenue collection efforts through a Level 3 Disconnection Drive, targeting defaulting high-consumption customers with long-standing, unpaid and undisputed accounts,” the city said in a statement on Wednesday.
The campaign will be led by the MMC for Finance, Loyiso Masuku, and the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services (EISD), Jack Sekwaila, leading teams that comprise Revenue Shared Service Centre and Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) among others.
A Level 3 disconnection represents the most severe form of service termination – where the city physically removes a customer’s water or electricity infrastructure, such as meters, cables or conductors.
“This step is taken only after multiple prior disconnection attempts and customer engagements have failed or where a customer has illegally reconnected services following previous cut-offs,” the city said.
The campaign forms part of Project Lokisa, the city’s revenue management and debt collection strategy.
Once disconnected, customers will lose eligibility for supply and must reapply and settle their arrears before reconnection.
“The city cannot continue to subsidise persistent defaulters at the expense of honest ratepayers,” said Masuku.
“Project Lokisa is about restoring financial discipline, enforcing accountability, and fostering a culture of payment that secures Johannesburg’s future and sustains service delivery for all.”
The city urged customers to make immediate payments or arrange repayment plans over a three- to five-year period.
This targeted disconnection drive reinforces the city’s zero-tolerance approach to non-payment and reaffirms its commitment to financial sustainability, good governance, and reliable service delivery across Johannesburg.
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