Johannesburg residents are trapped in the middle of a growing financial and governance crisis.

Many households and businesses continue paying their electricity bills every month, yet they still face the threat of power cuts because City Power owes Eskom billions.

OUTA says this approach is fundamentally unfair.

Residents who honour their obligations should not be punished for failures inside government institutions. Debt recovery is necessary, but it must target the source of the problem rather than compliant consumers.

The situation also raises deeper questions about governance, financial oversight and leadership inside the City of Johannesburg.

Read OUTA’s full response to the escalating Eskom and City Power dispute here.