Joburg residents are rightfully angry about a recent increase in the service charge for prepaid electricity, while issues with incorrect billing remain a challenge. But OUTA’s JoburgCAN division has your back. 

The new prepaid service charge of R230 (inclusive of VAT) came into effect in the City of Johannesburg on 1 July 2024. This tariff affects the poorest in the city the most, while the indigent register only covers 3% of those that need free basic services. JoburgCAN has been calling for the charge to be scrapped. Joining forces with the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance, we demanded that the Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda be held accountable for his poor handling of the tariff changes and that he and his mayoral committee be removed. Our protest action on July 27 saw communities throughout the city join together to demand better services, an end to water outages and the scrapping of the prepaid fee. Further billing issues such as the invoicing of new deposits and changes to business prepaid rates continue to be reported to JoburgCAN and we are working closely with partners to get clarity and support to the residents of Joburg. Visit our billing resources page to find out more about how to declare a dispute over your bill and to answer questions on the prepaid tariff changes.

For more information on JoburgCAN, visit here.