Johannesburg Fixes R136M in Overcharged Electric Bills

When Elizabeth Edwards installed solar panels to save money on electricity, she never expected a R60,000 bill to arrive instead. But that's exactly what happened to the Parkwood resident after City Power took over billing and replaced her meter.

Her story became a symbol of Johannesburg's decade-long billing nightmare. Across the city, thousands of residents faced estimated bills that bore no resemblance to their actual usage, with some people disconnected even while formally disputing their charges.

The good news? City Power is finally cleaning up the mess.

Since taking over billing responsibilities in July 2025, the utility launched a comprehensive city-wide meter audit to verify every connection. What they found was sobering: incorrectly programmed meters, customers on wrong tariffs, accounts not billed for years, and widespread technical failures that left the system broken.

But rather than ignore the problems, City Power got to work fixing them. The utility has issued R136 million in credits to 86 customers who were overcharged. They've resolved 162 legal disputes that had dragged on for years, bringing closure to families who'd fought the system alone.

Julia Fish from civic organization JoburgCAN says the transition hasn't been perfect, but she's seeing real improvement. Many estimated bills that remained unresolved for years are finally getting corrected, and City Power's billing team has proven responsive to fixing errors.

Edwards' account was adjusted after City Power acknowledged the estimates were wrong. While she's still challenging the remaining balance, the reversal represents progress in a system that previously offered residents no recourse.

The Bright Side

The meter audit revealed how deep the problems ran, but it also created a roadmap for solutions. City Power now encourages residents to submit monthly meter readings through the e-Joburg platform to prevent estimated billing errors.

For residents still battling incorrect bills, Fish recommends continuing to pay previous monthly averages and logging disputes each month using the same reference number. This creates a paper trail that protects against unlawful disconnections and mounting penalties.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena says taking control of billing was essential to fixing Johannesburg's financial crisis and ensuring the lights stay on. The utility had been running a R2 billion monthly deficit because the gap between electricity purchased and revenue collected had grown too wide.

The system still has work to do, with 116 legal disputes outstanding and ongoing complaints about aggressive debt collection. But the R136 million in refunds proves that accountability is possible, even in systems that have failed residents for years.

For thousands of Johannesburg families who've spent years fighting impossible bills, that's a light at the end of a very long tunnel.