Children’s Memorial Institute still without power after 19 days, despite mayor’s promise

Following an intergovernmental dispute over R159.2-million in accumulated provincial utility arrears and subsequent reporting by Daily Maverick, Mayor Dada Morero visited the Children’s Memorial Institute (CMI) in Parktown on Wednesday, 16 September, promising that power would be reconnected by the following day.

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However, City Power officials arrived the next day and said they could not restore power without a signed debt agreement.

Dr Dee Blackie, managing director of CMI, confirmed she received a message on Saturday, 19 September, from the City’s group head of revenue, Lufuno Mashau, stating that the city manager had informed the Gauteng Department of Health that a formal payment plan was required before power could be restored.

Mashau explained that the Health Department and the MEC had failed to attend a meeting requested by the mayor, but indicated that a rescheduled meeting on Monday might secure the necessary payment commitments to authorise reconnection.

The revelation confirms that municipal officials chose to maintain a total blackout on 22 child-welfare NPOs and 365 special-needs learners to leverage payment from provincial authorities.

‘Institutional abuse, neglect and exploitation’

Blackie expressed her heartbreak after three years of trying to protect the historic child-welfare hub from state administrative warfare. 

“I am completely devastated to live in a city where no government officials appear to care for the most vulnerable children. After years of watching provincial and city officials alternate between ignorance and bullying, they are now simply ghosting the organisation.”

She highlighted how non-profit staff and community workers had been left to keep critical child safety services afloat using their own money. 

“Community workers are using their own resources, including generators and fuel, and working for free to ensure the safety and care of the children. CMI functions as a collaborative community where various NGOs work together – ranging from dentists referring abused children to the Teddy Bear Foundation, to care and therapy provided by JPCCC [Johannesburg Parent and Child Counselling Centre] for abandoned babies and Childline referrals, as well as sensory regulation spaces for neurodiverse children.”

However, Blackie warned that NPOs cannot continue operating under such institutional neglect, abuse and exploitation. She said that working alongside officials who treat vulnerable children and community organisations with disdain had escalated from mere neglect to active sabotage.

High court rulings ignored

The bureaucratic standoff persists despite two high court judgments ordering relevant Gauteng Provincial Government departments to resolve internal utility disputes within 14 days of a July 2025 ruling.

In a formal letter sent to senior leadership across Gauteng Infrastructure Development, Gauteng Health, and Gauteng Education, Blackie warned that state officials were now in contempt of court.

While initial reports focused on a R44.4-million electricity bill, internal state records show the total provincial utility debt across the precinct held under Gauteng Health master accounts has reached R159.2-million:

• Johannesburg Hospital water and sewer account: R86,334,259.59.

• Children’s/New Children’s Hospital electricity account: R44,431,835.11.

• Johannesburg Hospital water account: R28,472,504.90.

Although Gauteng Health made roughly R30-million in payments in recent months, municipal records indicate this covers less than 20% of the total outstanding arrears.

Paediatric dentistry in pitch darkness

While state departments prepare for another round of intergovernmental talks on Monday, the daily operational strain on the campus continues:

• Emergency surgery by torchlight: At the CMI Paediatric Dental Clinic – the sole state dental facility for children across the Johannesburg inner city, Hillbrow, Yeoville, Berea and surrounding areas – dentists continue treating walk-in emergency cases involving acute pain, sepsis, and trauma using cellphone torches.

• School for Autism left unpaid: The Gauteng Department of Education occupies nearly 50% of CMI's rentable area to run the Johannesburg School for Autism (serving 365 learners), but has failed to pay for security, cleaning, or maintenance since April 2024. The department now owes CMI more than R3.2-million, forcing charities to subsidise a provincial school.

• Diesel financial drain: The historical CMI campus is a sprawling multi-building complex housing diverse clinical and social infrastructure, including a provincial hospital laundry facility. Operating on continuous backup generator power, the laundry is burning through 1,000 litres of diesel per day – costing more than R30,000 daily – to maintain sterile linen processing for Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital, two other hospitals, and 13 clinics.

Neither the City of Johannesburg nor the Gauteng Department of Health had responded to requests for comment by the time of publication.

Daily Maverick also sent inquiries to the Office of Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi asking whether he would intervene on behalf of the 22 child-welfare NPOs, the 365 learners at the Johannesburg School for Autism, and the emergency paediatric dental clinic affected by the blackout. The inquiries further questioned whether his office would compel provincial departments to honour existing high court orders regarding the CMI utility accounts, and if he would issue an executive directive to restore power immediately ahead of Monday’s intergovernmental meeting. No response had been received by the time of publication. DM