Protests ensued after the City of Tshwane (CoT) disconnected the electricity supply to the Sunway and Refentse settlements on Friday due to Madibeng Municipality’s debt of over R25 million.

Cirty of Tshwane attempted to disconnect the electricity supply to the Rietfontein wastewater treatment plant.

Technicians also attempted to disconnect the electricity supply to the Rietfontein sewage plant, but were halted by a previous court order. The plant’s outstanding bill is R1.5 million.
Despite attempts by Madibeng to have a consultation with Tshwane on Friday, CoT would not budge and refused to restore the electricity supply. According to DA councillor Graeme Peplar, he was told by Madibeng officials that a payment agreement with CoT was not honoured by Madibeng.
“I was told that Madibeng did not have the funds to pay the outstanding CoT debt. Residents were informed on Sunday that Mayor Douglas Maimane will meet with the community on Tuesday to discuss urgent installation of split meters to ensure a cash-backed solution in its commitment to CoT going forward,” Peplar said.
Protests ensued on Monday night, and Van der Hoff Road and even rural roads were closed.
On Tuesday, the mayor was not among the Madibeng officials who attended the meeting. “Somehow, on Tuesday afternoon, Madibeng managed to make a R5 million payment to Tshwane and the electricity supply was reconnected. I was told the mayor would see community members on Wednesday,” Peplar said.
Sunway and Refentse were also left in the dark when CoT disconnected the electricity supply in June.
The municipality installed split meters in Sunway in 2024, however, most of these meters were allegedly destroyed, and illegal connections were made. Revenue from Sunway is merely hundreds of Rands, a source told Kormorant.
Municipal spokesperson Tumelo Tshabalala said the “matter is receiving urgent attention from the municipality, and we will also be meeting the affected consumers on the subject of electricity split meters.”
In October 2024, the Rietfontein sewage plant came to a standstill for more than two weeks after the electricity supply was disconnected because Madibeng could not pay the bill. Subsequently, a High Court order forced CoT to restore the electricity supply.