Businesses in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) have been alerted to the possibility of having their electricity or water disconnected, owing to the sizable monetary debt owed to the municipality.

The City has decried the “millions of rands” owed to it by businesses.

Pre-termination notices of imminent disconnections have been sent out to all affected customers across the City.

The City’s Group Finance Department maintains that it will recover debt owed as set out in its Credit Control and Debt Collection Policy.

“The Credit Control Policy stipulates that if a customer has not fully paid the outstanding amount and/or an Acknowledgement of Debt Agreement (AOD) is not entered into with the City within the stipulated period, electricity may be disconnected, and water restricted and throttled without any further notice,” noted CoJ communications and stakeholder engagement director Kgamanyane Maphologela.

The City is appealing to affected businesses that are struggling to service their accounts to sign AODs as a measure to avoid being cut off.

Maphologela also cautioned businesses against illegal connections and tampering with water and electricity supplies. Legal action will be taken against offending businesses, he warned. 

Businesses which wish to make payment arrangements may contact the City’s Credit Control Department by emailing them on creditcontrol@joburg.org.za.