Nigerian consulate’s lights turned on after agreeing to pay R406 000 electrical bill

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Nigerian consulate's lights turned on after agreeing to pay R406 000 electrical bill
Nigerian consulate's lights turned on after agreeing to pay R406 000 electrical bill

Africa-Press – South-Africa. The Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg can switch its lights on again after making arrangements to pay its R406 000 electrical bill.

The consulate was switched off on Wednesday during a three-day effort by City Power to collect revenue owed by residents and businesses in Region E.

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

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said it hoped to retrieve R36 million of this debt during the three-day blitz.

The Nigerian consulate in Illovo was first on the list of businesses to be visited by City Power and the Johannesburg Metro on Wednesday.

But when officials drove up to the consulate, it shut the gates and refused entry to the property.

When it was clear the officials were not going to meet with City Power, the entity cut off the consulate’s electricity.

Mangena said the electricity had been switched back on after members of the consulate met with City Power at its offices in Kew.

He said they had arranged to pay the rest of the bill by the end of the month.

“They had a lack of consistency in paying their bill. For example, last month, they paid for six months, and the year before, they paid for only one month. And before then, they paid for only three months.”

Mangena estimated the operation had managed to recover around R10 million so far.

“We are encouraged that more businesses and residential customers in the area have been visiting our service delivery centre to pay their debts, make arrangements, or enquire on how they can fix their accounts. We appeal to others to do the same, so that they do not find themselves on the wrong side [of another debt recovery operation],” he said.

City Power will conduct similar operations in the other six regions of Johannesburg.

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