GOOD Statement by Matthew Cook,
GOOD National Chairperson and City of Johannesburg Councillor
3 December 2025
Today, as Chairperson of the Section 79 Finance Committee in the City of Joburg, I successfully tabled a damning Oversight Report following an unannounced oversight visit of the Finance Committee to Joburg Water and City Power on 13 November 2025, the report details a breakdown of operational discipline, a collapse of internal ethics, and a direct assault on democratic oversight.
The oversight visit exposed alarming failures in the rollout of the Trading Services Reforms, which were expected to stabilise billing and restore trust in the City’s utilities. Instead, the Committee found chaos, staff sabotage, unmanaged backlogs, and senior officials who refuse to be held accountable.
At Joburg Water, Committee members were confronted by residents who have been battling unresolved billing issues for three to six years, including incorrect meter readings, billing on wrong or non-existent meters, charges linked to neighbouring fire hydrants and reports of repeat visits without resolution.
However, the committee was satisfied that Joburg Water is constantly trying to improve and address residents’ issues. Staff were visible and helpful, and a number of the residents who were interviewed after their interaction with Joburg Water were satisfied and praised the team at Joburg Water (Turbine Hall) for finally addressing their concerns after months, and in some cases, years of frustration with call centres and endless call logging and follow-up emails.
But the most disturbing discoveries came at City Power (Reuven). A group of staff members openly admitted that they were intentionally slowing down work due to internal disputes over remuneration, despite the fact that these delays directly harm residents and the City’s financial stability. Furthermore, the committee was informed that deliberate absenteeism has become the norm across the City Power billing office and that staff morale is extremely low, directly impacting service delivery. The team repeatedly emphasised that resolving resident queries was “not a priority”.
Most shocking of all was when the Section 79 Finance Committee attempted to engage senior management; they refused to meet, shut their laptops, and walked out of their offices, an unprecedented and unacceptable act of defiance against Council oversight.
No official has the right to walk away from accountability. The conduct we witnessed is not only unprofessional but also deliberate misconduct and a betrayal of the residents who depend on these services. This is sabotage, pure and simple.
I am pleased that the Council approved the recommendations of the Section 79 Finance Committee.
The recommendations to Council include:
1. Immediate disciplinary proceedings against: * Officials who admitted to slowing down work. * The senior managers who refused to engage oversight and walked out. Their behaviour constitutes dereliction of duty, obstruction of oversight, and a material threat to service delivery.
2. Stabilisation of the billing environment, including urgent correction of:
* Data integrity failures.
* Meter reading errors.
* Customer segmentation discrepancies.
* Back-office process breakdowns.
3. Monthly reporting to Council on:
* Billing migration progress.
* Query resolution rates.
* Backlogs.
* Internal staff performance issues.
4. Establishment of a councillor helpdesk to ensure that public representatives can escalate and resolve chronic billing problems efficiently. Johannesburg’s utilities cannot be allowed to collapse from within. The Reforms were designed to create efficient, transparent, resident-focused entities. Instead, we found dysfunction, poor leadership, and staff who have forgotten who they serve. This must end now.
Residents deserve utilities that work, utilities led by professionals, not chaos.
GOOD will continue to push for the stabilisation of Joburg Water and City Power, and for a billing system that is accurate, ethical, and transparent.
Media Enquiries: media@forgood.org.za