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SUMMIT CLUB HILLBROW NIGHTCLUB DISCONNECTED OVER R2.6 MILLION ELECTRICITY DEBT
CHANON LECODEY MERRICKS ONLINE_EDITOR
The Office of the Executive Mayor, Councillor Dada Morero, today undertook decisive enforcement action as part of the Mayoral High-Impact Service Delivery Programme in the Johannesburg inner city. The operation is focused on restoring compliance, recovering revenue owed to the City, and protecting critical electricity infrastructure. As part of today’s intervention, City Power disconnected two major inner-city businesses — a prominent Hillbrow nightclub and a shopping complex with residential flats — after they accumulated a combined electricity debt of nearly R25 million.
This enforcement forms part of the City of Johannesburg’s ongoing High-Impact Service Delivery intervention targeting persistent non-payment, illegal electricity connections, and electricity-related criminality that undermine service delivery and strain the power network. City Power remains resolute in recovering more than R10 billion owed to the City, including approximately R3.2 billion owed by customers in inner-city supply areas.
These measures are essential to safeguarding the integrity of the electricity grid and ensuring that law-abiding, paying customers are not unfairly burdened by those who continue to evade payment and engage in unlawful activity.
On Tuesday, 13 January 2026, City Power, EMS and the Building Control Unit conducted targeted inspections and disconnections in Hillbrow, focusing on properties along Claim Street, Esselen Street and Edith Cavell Street.
Two properties with a combined electricity debt of approximately R25 million were disconnected, underscoring the magnitude of revenue losses from continued non-payment. Inspections further exposed multiple hijacked and unlawfully occupied buildings, including residential and commercial properties previously linked to illegal electricity connections.
A block of flats with more than 30 units, which was disconnected in November 2025 following the removal of illegal connections, remains without electricity. In another building, occupants were found to be paying rent while the property owner had failed to pay rates, taxes and electricity accounts. All previously identified illegal connections from prior visits had already been dismantled.
The operation also extended to businesses operating in the area. A well-known Hillbrow nightclub, Summit, was inspected and found to have an outstanding electricity debt of R2.6 million. Although one registered meter was up to date, a second meter was in default and was disconnected in line with City Power’s credit control policies.
The business was also found to be in breach of Section 4 of Regulation A25 (Section 5) for carrying out an internal layout change without an approved building plan from the City. Illegal connections and non-payment place severe strain on the inner-city electricity network, increase the risk of outages and infrastructure damage, and divert resources from essential maintenance and upgrades. Tackling these challenges is crucial to restoring network stability and ensuring fairness in electricity service delivery.
As part of the High-Impact Service Delivery Programme’s broader focus on restoring safety and improving quality of life, City Power’s public lighting teams were deployed in Hillbrow. A total of 16 streetlights along Claim Street and Esselen Street were repaired and restored, improving visibility and enhancing safety for residents, businesses and commuters.
The City of Johannesburg will intensify these operations in partnership with City Power and law enforcement agencies to clamp down on electricity-related crimes and strengthen compliance throughout the inner city.
Members of the public are encouraged to report illegal connections and suspicious activity affecting electricity infrastructure to the Security Risk Management Control Room at: 011 490 7900 / 011 490 7911 / 011 490 7553 or via WhatsApp on 083 579 4497.
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