Tshwane Credit Control Cuts Power to Its Own Reservoir

Cllr Jacqui Uys – DA Tshwane Spokesperson on Finance

By Jacqui Uys
DA Tshwane Spokesperson for Finance

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Tshwane is outraged as the City of Tshwane cuts the power, for a second time, to its own water reservoir due to non-payment of accounts.

Yesterday morning, the City of Tshwane’s credit control department, furnished with an official disconnection notice, cut power to the pumpstations of one of its own reservoirs.

City teams meant business as they proceeded to rip the breaker out of the Suiderberg Reservoir, to prevent power from being switched back.

This is not the first time power supply to the Suiderberg Reservoir has been cut.

In December 2024, supply was also cut, leading to dry taps in suburbs supplied by this reservoir for days, at the time valves, and the telemetry system was also stolen and vandalized.

During the first incident, the DA had to intervene by engaging the City finance department to get power restored.

Then, the department explained that this was a system glitch and would be rectified.

Unfortunately, it is now clear that this was never rectified as today the breaker was removed this step is only taken when a second credit control action is issued on a property.

Thus, these are not two isolated instances.

The DA has engaged the finance department to have power restored before water supply to surrounding areas is interrupted, and before vandalism happens at nightfall.

The DA has, on a number of occasions, raised concerns with the City’s policy for interdepartmental financial transfers and has called reports in the Section 79 Finance committee on the topic.

Mistakes like this are unnecessary service delivery failures in a City that already fails its residents.

Additionally, it then also costs the City financially as they must spend money to disconnect and reconnect power, install a new breaker and still suffer losses from vandalism.

This own goal, if not rectified, will have a serious impact on the residents of Tshwane.