City Power, which has taken sole responsibility for electricity billing in the Johannesburg metropolitan area, has met with hundreds of residents and businesses to address account queries and discrepancies.
In collaboration with other City of Johannesburg departments, the utility said the engagement “allowed customers to… receive immediate feedback on billing issues, account reconciliations, meter reading, and credit control matters”.
At what City Power described as a “successful open day initiative” held in Braamfontein, “hundreds of property owners and business representatives gathered at the venue to have their queries” resolved “from the early morning hours”.
City Power did not say how many queries had been resolved.
Billing shift
In mid-July, City Power announced it was taking over the billing process from the City of Johannesburg to address residents’ frustrations with inaccurate accounts and disputed meter readings.
“This transition is not merely administrative; it marks a milestone in our ongoing mission to enhance customer service, resolve long-standing billing challenges, and ensure every household and business is accurately billed for the electricity they use,” City Power said at the time.
City Power now says it “continues to take steps to address electricity billing challenges in Johannesburg, following the official transfer of the billing function from the City of Johannesburg,” as of July. “The move recognises that billing has long been a major source of frustration for many customers.”
With billing now managed internally, City Power says it has full oversight of the customer journey, “leading to fewer estimation errors and greater transparency in account management”.
Previously, billing was handled by the City of Johannesburg. With the function brought in-house, City Power says it can now respond faster, reduce errors caused by estimates and improve transparency.
The city’s billing problems date back to 2009, when it began implementing a R580 million (at the time) SAP platform known as Project Phakama. The initiative aimed to consolidate the city’s various billing systems into a single platform serving 1.3 million account-holders. However, it was widely criticised after launch, with thousands of residents reporting billing issues.
Rebuilding trust
The recent open day brought together officials and technical experts from City Power, group finance, Johannesburg Water, Pikitup and Development Planning to provide on-the-spot assistance and resolutions.
Lesiba Monyamane, acting general manager for strategic customer relations, said the event demonstrated the city’s renewed focus on responsiveness and accountability.
“This mayoral initiative sought to fast-track the resolution of the different billing queries that customers in the Inner City have. It’s an initiative that will go a long way in strengthening the trust between our customers and us,” says Monyamane.
Glenda Skosana, assistant general manager for the billing department, says this kind of engagement “is crucial if we are to rebuild public confidence in our systems and processes”.
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