South Africa: City Power Recovers R1.14 Billion Through Billing Fixes and Theft Crackdown

17 March 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Selloane Ntshonyane
  • City Power's Gross Margin Turnaround Project, led by CEO Tshifularo Mashava, aims to recover R2.9-billion in revenue by June 2026.
  • City Power resolved most of over 4,000 billing queries from the City of Johannesburg, with under 800 cases still outstanding.

City Power has added about R140-million to its income in just two weeks, bringing the total impact of its Financial Sustainability Programme to roughly R1.14-billion.

The utility recently passed the R1-billion mark as part of a wider effort to recover R2.9-billion in revenue by June 2026.

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The revenue growth comes from the Gross Margin Turnaround Project, led by CEO Tshifularo Mashava. The project aims to make City Power financially stable, reduce losses and improve long-term earnings.

Mashava said the progress shows the interventions are working.

"Recovering lost revenue and fixing past billing mistakes are key steps to restoring the financial stability of the utility," she said.

Much of the extra income comes from correcting billing errors. Since taking over electricity billing from the City of Johannesburg in July 2025, City Power has resolved most of the over 4,000 billing queries it inherited, leaving under 800 cases still being finalised.

City Power also fixed under-billing, incorrect tariffs and technical errors in meters to improve accuracy and strengthen the billing system.

Metering audits have uncovered illegal connections, bypassed meters and other technical issues.

Chief Commercial Officer Thamsanqa Mathiso said these steps help reduce electricity theft and network losses.

"The work we are doing confirms that these interventions are starting to restore revenue that was previously lost," he said.

City Power is also engaging with high-value customers to improve service and encourage timely payments. The utility hopes these efforts will build trust and support a sustainable electricity network.

The next phase of the project will focus on auditing residential estates and complexes across all service centres, checking meters and billing accuracy.

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