A Joburg couple faces a staggering R60,000 bill after being pressured to switch from prepaid to post-paid electricity without consent. (Graphic: Kevin Momberg) Since we launched our platform to report incidents of bribery or intimidation last month, dozens of Johannesburg residents have shared variations on a theme of consistently poor, sometimes spiteful and oftentimes aggressive and even criminal behaviour on the part of City Power or Eskom employees and contractors, whether real or impersonated.
But one story in particular that was submitted recently conveyed such audacity in its obvious criminality that it had our jaws on the floor. If you’ve experienced something similar, please let us know. We will keep your personal information safe and anonymous.
In May 2024, a couple living in the suburbs of Joburg, but out of town for a few days, received a surprising call from their house-sitter: someone from City Power was at the door, insisting – aggressively – that their prepaid electricity meter needed to be switched to a post-paid system immediately.
Post-paid billing is the traditional means of measuring the amount of power a household uses during a given period and billing for that usage after the fact, as opposed to topping up your meter as you consume, via a “prepaid” system.
The City of Joburg recently explained to residents that moving to post-paid billing for certain customers would “reduce revenue losses, address issues related to tampered meters, illegal connections, and advance a broader programme aimed at improving billing accuracy across all areas of supply”.
“It is also about ensuring that the residents are responsible and pay for the electricity that they use,” the City wrote in a press release.
This was despite having insisted on changing all customers across the region over to prepaid in 2011, at immense expense, calling the system “the face of the future”. Within 13 years, though, City Power had performed an about-turn back to post-paid – and placed the onus on residents to pay for it. In 2024, they implemented a R230-a-month “connection fee” for those who elected to remain on prepaid.
It was two months before this punitive levy was formally announced in July 2024 that the couple told the individual identifying himself as a City Power employee over the phone that they were happy with their prepaid system; that they had questions about why they needed to change it, and that they were uncomfortable not being at home to discuss it in person.
But the contractor was adamant he would disconnect their electricity completely if they didn’t comply there and then. Confused and reluctant, they felt powerless to stop him from installing a post-paid meter. They consented.
“We wanted to remain on prepaid electricity, but he said we could apply for that later on,” the woman told Daily Maverick.
“On arriving back in Johannesburg... we expected to receive some billing for our consumption via our municipal bill.”
A year later, they hadn’t received a single account.
The woman went to City Power’s offices in Hursthill, where she was told the post-paid meter that had been installed was not reflected on her account or profile, but that her old prepaid meter was. And it was still in use.
“It looked like it was being used illegally, as recent payments were for suspiciously small amounts. Considering our consumption patterns and our installation of a solar power system – which documents all our usage – it became apparent that the earlier City Power person who came to install the new meter had illegally passed on our old prepaid meter to someone else and not reassigned the new meter to my account.”
City Power did not respond to a request for comment.
Threats rather than help
The situation got worse. City Power refused to take responsibility for the situation, instead implying that the couple themselves were using the meter illegally. “‘Oh, they like accusing everyone here of stealing electricity,’ one of the Hursthill representatives quipped sarcastically,” the woman said.
With no clarity or solutions provided to them, the couple went home.
In October 2025, the woman’s husband came across a group of City Power employees working in the neighbourhood and asked them to have a look at their meter. The contractors promptly attempted to extort him out of R5,000 to resolve the issue, which he declined to pay.
Suddenly, though, within days, they received a bill – for 17 months of consumption, from May 2024, when the new meter was installed. The total was almost R60,000.
According to the couple, the accounting contained completely incorrect consumption amounts, which they were able to compare with their solar power system. But City Power refused to recalculate or change the estimation, saying that the couple’s solar system needed to be registered first to be deemed legitimate – a process they have been fighting to complete for months now.
Instead of trying to help, City Power contractors showed up at their house and threatened to cut them off.
“We begged them not to, as we have a little baby,” the woman explained. “We tried to explain the whole situation. They haven’t come back to cut us off yet, but I have received numerous emails [threatening disconnection] from City Power in recent months.”
More than two years after the new and ostensibly unsanctioned meter was installed, the situation remains unresolved.
Pensioners in crisis over electricity bribery
Here are some other submissions from residents dealing with prepaid meter issues. These have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
If you have a similar story to report and proof of City Power negligence or abuse, please click here or submit your story at the end of this article.
Months without power
We were extorted for R6,500 by a City Power contractor. We told him that we are pensioners and would have to pay him from our little savings, along with the balance of our next Sassa payment. We had nothing else to give. But a week later, a different group from City Power informed us our problem had not actually been fixed by the previous contractor and cut us off.
When my daughter called them to get clarity, they demanded a further R5,000 to switch our power back on. We did not have the R5,000. I cried bitterly. We decided to go to City Power offices and report everything that we went through, but they would not budge on the amount. So we were without electricity for over three months.
They were so heartless, even when we explained to them that we were pensioners. We could not live in peace. They would come on Fridays and near month end... if we refused to open the gate then they would switch off from the box. Eventually we were able to pay the R5,000, but it took another month before we got power back.
Termination notices
For the last two months I have been receiving termination notices. City Power suddenly billed almost R3,000 from one month to the next. I am billed on estimates, even though my actual readings are a lot less than what is being charged.
Who in the municipality can one get to sort out their mess? I have lodged a query which the staff don’t attend to. The account is always paid in full, except for this ridiculously high amount that they came up with. DM