City Power, which is the authority providing electricity to the City of Johannesburg, has disconnected the electricity at the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg after it failed to pay a 406 000 rand (11 million Naira) bill.

Day two of the City Power three-day revenue collection effort in Region E kicked off with a visit to smaller businesses in and around Alexandra, Wynberg and Kew.

The bulk electricity supplier is owed R4 billion in unpaid bills, and defaulting businesses in Region E owe it R363 million.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said it hoped to retrieve R36 million of this debt within three days.

On Tuesday, the entity, along with metro police, visited big businesses in the area, which Mangena said were the "low-hanging fruit".

He said they were businesses which could afford to pay their massive bills, but chose not to.

On Wednesday, City Power officials said many of the businesses visited on Tuesday paid up after being cut off.

One such business was a church which owed R740 000.

The church was able to pay more than R200 000 of its bill after being cut off on Tuesday.

Wednesday began with a visit to the Nigerian consulate in Illovo. However, it shut its gates and refused City Power entry to the property.

When it was clear that no officials were going to meet with City Power, the entity cut off the consulate's electricity.

From there, officials went to The Catalyst Hotel, which they said owed R1.1 million.

General manager Robert Chifunyise said they were aware of the billing issue and had been trying to engage with the City.

"As a client, it's frustrating we can't resolve this issue. It's so hard to consult with the City, but so easy for them to cut us [off].

"We're engaged with consultants, but it's not as easy as showing them the bill – and City Power knows it."

Debtors should pay.

Lol. Nigerians are used to darkness, that's not punishment. The City Power officials should have locked the gate from the outside with big padlocks.

Where're there's no electricity in Nigeria, south Africa cannot allow the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg to use their own because of Buhari inability to pay for the debts .

That's good.

They should also cut them off South Africa generally.

Buhari is an international embarrassment.

What a shame.
These nonsense must stop.
PODATTI to the rescue

F

Odiegwu

Are Nigerian consulate to foreign countries bringing income to Nigerian revenue?If they are not they should be close down permanently because they are waste of public funds.

Shameful.

Who still believes this is a country?

Can I see your hand raided, please?

Pikin wey no gree learn or get sense from inside house, na outsiders dey teach am lesson.

Tueeeeh

Nigeria is an irresponsible people run by IRRESPONSIBLE people.

They have take their "Do you know who I am?" mentality to South Africa.

I can't believe the Honourable Ambassador GeneralPula of the Agbero Consulate (Pooped-up Gutter Avenue, Hillbrow) and the gateboys Parrot69, Chaos14 and Morpheus101 tried to hide inside and act like no one was home so that City Power can return at the gate

GeneralPula:


Let me hold on till we hear from the officials over there..

SA is one hungry country that inflate bills of foreigners, especially blacks. I won’t be surprised if they’re over charging the consulate or their are some sort of secret scam behind..

11m is too way small to give the consulate problem..

I really wouldn't be surprised "GeneralPula of the Agbero Consulate" if you had your lights and heaters on all day and all night to make up for the darkness you escaped back home - even during this heatwave we're experiencing in jhb nowadays.

Or maybe you'd turned the consulate into a hotel for other area boys roaming Hillbrow aimlessly without legal papers coz they used them to wipe themselves after pooping in gutters, as per normal

Anyway, the most important question is: if N11M is small money, why didn't you pay it all along? City Power actually says it's N16M.

Does it mean South Africa doesn't use prepaid metering like we do here??

Meanwhile

RenaissanceGuy:
Does it mean South Africa doesn't use prepaid metering like we do here??

Households use prepaid, not big business and establishments.

Hmmm

WannaHowzit:

Households use prepaid, not big business and establishments.

All right.