Show me the money: DA questions City of Johannesburg’s R5.25 billion payment Eskom

Devon Steenkamp, the DA Johannesburg City Power Spokesperson, said they have reason to believe the city has not settled its R5.25 billion debt to Eskom.

On 21 August 2026, Eskom said that it had received the final payment from the City of Johannesburg to settle its debt of R5.255 billion.

The City of Johannesburg has also confirmed that it remains committed to paying all future current accounts on or before their respective due dates.

Eskom’s Group Executive Distribution, Junaid Munshi, said that they valued the City of Johannesburg as a customer.

“We remain committed to a stable working relationship for the benefit of its residents and in turn, the economy, and our country,’ he said.

This payment followed Eskom’s notice of its intention to reduce, interrupt or terminate electricity supply to certain bulk supply points in Johannesburg due to non-payment.

Many people celebrated the City of Johannesburg’s payment. However, the Democratic Alliance questioned this payment.

“The DA has strong reason to believe that the City of Johannesburg has not, in fact, settled its R5.25 billion debt with Eskom,” said Steenkamp.

“Despite much fanfare as the ANC approaches its manifesto launch, residents have likely been lied to.”

He challenged the City, including Mayor Dada Morero, to provide evidence of every payment made towards the claimed R5.25 billion settlement.

“I have also submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application to establish exactly how these funds moved through the City,” said Steenkamp.

 “I also asked where the money originated, which accounts were used, and what payments were actually made to Eskom.”

He said that if there is nothing to hide, the City of Johannesburg will provide this information without delay.

“This is important given City Power’s financial position. City Power recorded a R2.84 billion loss in only the first six months of the 2025/26 financial year,” he said.

“Its business model remains fundamentally broken. It cannot sustainably generate sufficient revenue to cover its enormous costs and obligations.”

Steenkamp said that if money were redirected from elsewhere in the city to address the Eskom crisis, residents deserve to know where it was taken from.

This, he explained, is because moving money would impact services, suppliers, or projects in other areas.

“We want the City to release the bank records, payment confirmations, and supporting financial documentation necessary to reconcile the R5.25 billion figure,” he said.