Johannesburg urged to overhaul City Power leadership within 100 days — TimesLIVE
In Johannesburg, South Africa, the Centre for Development and Enterprise think tank called on the future city administration to appoint new leadership for electricity distribution utility City Power within its first 100 days in office. The plan is intended to stabilize the utility’s finances, improve payment collection and restore failing infrastructure, TimesLIVE reports.
The proposals are set out in the report “Powering Joburg’s Turnaround,” released ahead of the municipal elections on November 4, 2026. The CDE believes that personnel and operational changes, rather than directly incorporating City Power into the city government structure, should be the priority. The recommendations apply to any administration formed after the elections, whether single-party or coalition-based.
Plan for the first months
In the first month after the elections, the mayor is advised to appoint an interim turnaround leader with experience in electricity distribution and corporate recovery. The leader should be supported by a small team reporting directly to the mayor and operating under defined mandates and measurable targets.
At the same time, the city should publish selection criteria for permanent chief executive and chief financial officers, as well as form a new board of directors. The CDE insists that appointments should be based on professional skills, experience and integrity, and that the search for candidates should not be limited to the public sector.
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For the second month, the strategy provides for reducing losses and restoring engagement with consumers. In the three service centers most affected by outages, meetings with residents are proposed to present the recovery plan and discuss debt settlement. During days 61–100, the city should, according to the CDE’s proposal, appoint City Power’s permanent leaders and demonstrate improvements in payment collection and reductions in electricity losses.
Finances and infrastructure
The program also provides for launching a smart prepaid meter program in five areas with the highest electricity losses. Before that, it is proposed to reconcile customer and meter data, ensure capacity for equipment installation, and deploy teams to check illegal connections and meter tampering.
According to the CDE, City Power’s backlog in infrastructure repairs and modernization amounts to 44.25 billion rand, while the utility’s deficit reached 4.3 billion rand in 2025, excluding capital grants and contributions. Between July 2025 and March 2026, the company recorded 2.1 million forced power supply interruptions, with an average restoration time of 11 hours. In the 2024/25 financial year, 44% of positions requiring professional qualifications and 72% of senior technician posts were vacant.
The CDE also proposed making City Power’s transfers to the municipality clearly defined, predictable and affordable for the utility so that they do not undermine network operations and investment. Private companies, in the center’s view, can assist with metering, correcting payment data and infrastructure maintenance, provided they are paid for independently verified results.
