Power Crisis Threatens Inner-City Economy

JCA Supports JPOMA Call for Emergency Action on Power Outages

Johannesburg’s inner-city power crisis is threatening businesses, jobs, livelihoods and property investment. The JCA supports JPOMA’s call for urgent action by the City and City Power to investigate repeated failures, secure critical infrastructure and produce a funded repair and prevention plan. The inner city cannot be revitalised while businesses and communities endure repeated multi-day outages. Reliable electricity is both a service-delivery and economic necessity.

STATEMENT SUMMARY

The Joburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) has backed the Johannesburg Property Owners and Managers Association (JPOMA) in calling for urgent intervention by the City of Johannesburg and City Power to address repeated and prolonged electricity outages in Johannesburg’s inner city.

The JCA warns that the crisis extends far beyond its impact on residents. Businesses, workers, informal traders, property owners and livelihoods are being severely affected by unreliable electricity and associated water interruptions. JPOMA has reported substantial expenditure on diesel and emergency water supplies, disruption to businesses dependent on electricity, tenants seeking to terminate leases and mounting financial pressure on property owners.

The Alliance says reliable electricity is fundamental to both the economic survival and regeneration of the inner city. Businesses cannot operate effectively through repeated multi-day outages, while property owners cannot indefinitely carry the costs of generators, diesel, emergency water supplies and damaged infrastructure. Workers and informal traders whose incomes depend on functioning businesses are also directly affected.

The JCA supports JPOMA’s call for the City and City Power to investigate the repeated failures, secure critical infrastructure, publish findings into the fires at Central Substation, and provide a funded repair and prevention plan with clear responsibilities and deadlines. It also supports direct engagement with affected communities, businesses and property owners.

The JCA argues that Johannesburg cannot successfully revitalise its inner city while essential electricity infrastructure repeatedly fails. Restoring reliable power is therefore both a service-delivery imperative and an economic necessity, requiring urgent, transparent and accountable action from the City.

The full statement by JPOMA can be accessed HERE