City Power makes payment amid R5.2bn debt dispute with Eskom; further payment due by 21 August 2026

SABC News reports that Eskom received the payment during the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA) consultation, which kicked off on 17 May 2026.

“While Eskom acknowledges the progress made and the payments received, the overdue debt has not yet been fully settled,” said Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena.

According to the SABC News report, City Power has since committed to make another payment to the national power utility by 21 August.

In a statement, Eskom indicated that the PAJA consultation process remains ongoing and has been extended to 22 August 2026 to allow Eskom to complete its assessment of the representations received.

It will also allow the power utility to monitor the city’s compliance with its electricity account obligations and the payment commitments it has made.

After Eskom issued a notice of intent to reduce, interrupt and/or terminate electricity supply to certain bulk supply points in the city due to the R5.2bn debt, the Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, announced that agreement has been reached between Eskom, the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and City Power to keep the city’s lights on.

“Johannesburg is just too big to fail. It is the powerhouse of the South African economy and the epicentre of the financial markets in the country and across the continent.

“As opposed to dealing with Johannesburg at arm’s length…we have accepted that we need to provide some degree of support to City Power.

“There are a lot of customers who are paying, and I think it would be particularly unfair for those customers to be collateral damage, so we need to find a solution,” Ramokgopa said at the time.