ActionSA: City Power must scrap monthly service fee charge, find alternative means to raise funds
From 1 July, City Power customers on prepaid meters have R200 deducted every month from their electricity purchases for service and network capacity charges.
A City Power employee. Picture: Rejoice Ndlovu/Eyewitness News
JOHANNESBURG - ActionSA in Johannesburg says City Power should find other ways of raising money instead of charging customers a R200 monthly service fee.
From 1 July, City Power customers on prepaid meters will have R200 deducted every month from their electricity purchases for service and network capacity charges.
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The new tariffs were passed in the Johannesburg council by the African National Congress (ANC)-led coalition. However, ActionSA was one of the few parties that voted against it.
ActionSA’s Johannesburg caucus leader, Nobuhle Mthembu, said the party would put a motion to the council to rescind the decision.
“ActionSA maintains our objection to the unjustified service charges, particularly because we acknowledge the plight of residents, especially those languishing in poverty or just about managing to make ends meet, who simply cannot bear the extra burden imposed by the governing chaos coalition.”
Mthembu said there were other ways the power utility could raise the revenue needed for its infrastructure maintenance.
“We strongly believe that while City Power must recover its revenue from defaulting residents, the same approach should be applied to certain provincial departments that have defaulted on their payments in the past, including the Departments of Education, Health, Housing, Infrastructure Development, and Transport. We also continue to call for the disconnection of hijacked buildings from the City Power grid.”