City Power calls on low-income residents to register for free electricity
Struggling to keep the lights on? City Power is offering free electricity to qualifying families. Register now if you qualify.
City Power has launched a registration campaign to ensure that qualifying low-income households in Johannesburg can access the free basic electricity (FBE) programme.
The registration campaign is part of City Power’s broader effort to promote financial sustainability, fairness, and responsible electricity use across Johannesburg
This initiative, which runs from June 17 to July 31, is expected to register at least 130 000 residents who meet the criteria for support.
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The programme will provide 50kWh of electricity per month at no cost to households that qualify. These free units are intended to help cover essential electricity needs such as lighting, cooking, and heating.
According to City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava, the FBE programme is more than a social relief measure; it is part of the power utility’s strategy to reduce illegal electricity connections, improve customer compliance, and protect the city’s power infrastructure from damage.
‘’This project is also a critical part of City Power’s wider efforts to bring more than 140 000 non-vending customers back onto the culture of paying for services. Many of these customers are consuming electricity without paying, resulting in massive revenue losses for the utility and the increasing destruction of our infrastructure,” said the power supplier in a statement.
In addition to free electricity, beneficiaries will be exempt from paying the R200 monthly infrastructure surcharge.
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Households with meters that have been tampered with or are damaged will have them replaced at no cost and without penalty.
Registered individuals may also qualify for other support services through the City of Johannesburg, including rebates on water and refuse removal.
To qualify, households must meet the city’s policy requirements:
- A combined monthly income of no more than R7 503.01.
- Applicants must be South African citizens or permanent residents.
- Applicants must be legal occupants of the property.
- Applicants must be willing to submit supporting documentation, including a valid ID, proof of residence, income declaration, and a CoJ municipal account.
City Power teams will conduct outreach through community pop-up stands at malls, taxi ranks, churches, and Sassa pay points, as well as through door-to-door visits and public imbizos.
Information will be made available in multiple languages to ensure accessibility for all communities.
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