Cape Town — City of Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya has addressed concerns over unpaid electricity bills owed by several businesses across the city.
On Monday, during the #TshwaneYaTima revenue collection campaign, Moya, along with the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD), led efforts to recover part of the city’s outstanding R29 billion debt.
Among the businesses targeted was Shoprite Arcadia, which had allegedly accumulated a staggering R7.3 million in unpaid electricity bills.
“They owe us R7,343,502.57. We’ve switched them for sitting on money that belongs to the city, placing profits ahead of paying their bills. Big businesses operating in Tshwane have a responsibility to honour their debt.
“They know what they need to do; they need to approach us and make a payment arrangement if they can’t afford their bill. Big businesses must do the right thing; they must learn to comply. More and more, we are realising that they have been too relaxed and hardly do the right thing,” Moya said in a video.
However, Moya later clarified the situation and said that the issue was not with Shoprite, but with the landlords KNG Properties.
“KNG Properties has reached out to our teams to settle. They’ve clarified that they are the client. I apologize for the misattribution and appreciate the correction – the issue lies with their landlord, not Shoprite,” she said on X.
Moya also revealed that the Sheraton Hotel owed R1.4 million in electricity debts, and the city has shut the power doen multiple times but the hotel has refuesed to make payments.
The Bothongo Plaza owes R5.9 million in debt, while the Homii Building on Helen Joseph Street owes R2.1 million. After speaking to the owners, the manager agreed to pay R350 000, which was not enough and the power was switched off.
Braai and Barbeque in Pretoria West owed us R1.4 million, while Moya said Powertech Transformers in Pretoria West owed R1.1 million and settled their debts as their power was set to be turned off.
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Picture: X/@nasiphim
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
