Press Release: JPOMA Calls for Emergency Action – 1 October 2026.
Johannesburg inner-city households have endured prolonged electricity outages, disrupted water supplies and another failed restoration after Central Substation caught fire for the third time in recent weeks. The Johannesburg Property Owners and Managers Association (JPOMA) is calling for emergency intervention to restore reliable basic services and prevent further failures.
JPOMA members report that some residents spent approximately 17 days without electricity before supply returned on 25 September, only to be lost again within hours following the fire on 26 September. City Power said approximately 98% of the network affected by the previous fire had been restored before the latest incident.
For affected households, this means prolonged periods without normal lighting, hot water, cooking facilities or refrigeration. Children cannot study normally, residents working from home lose working time, and everyday tasks become costly and difficult.
Electricity failures also become water failures. In buildings where municipal pressure is insufficient, electric pumps are needed to move water to upper floors. Once stored supplies are depleted, residents can be left without water for drinking, washing and sanitation.
Generators do not necessarily restore electricity to apartments. Members report using them to keep essential common-area lighting, lifts and water pumps operating while residents remain without normal power inside their homes. Examples supplied to JPOMA cover over 6000 residential units affected by the outages; these are examples of the impact, not a count of the entire affected area. Maintaining even these limited services carries substantial costs. Separate members have reported: • R1.115 million in diesel over two months, keeping common-area services operating across three residential buildings. • An estimated R2.5 million in diesel, based on approximately 14 days of generator operation across another portfolio. • A further R200,000 in diesel expenditure, over a two month period. • Another member reported water costs of R10,000 every two days, with diesel adding R15,000 every two days if its generator operated continuously. Costs forced restricted operating hours and occasional shutdowns, affecting tenants, including dressmakers dependent on electricity for their livelihoods. Increased generator use also brought forward a service costing approximately R12,000.
These emergency arrangements cannot replace a reliable municipal supply. Members report tenants moving out, rental boycotts and requests to end leases as disruption continues.
The failures extend beyond September. Records of the 28 August engagement with City Power describe ageing infrastructure, previous fire damage, temporary supply arrangements, reduced backup capacity and continuing theft and security challenges.
The question is therefore not simply when repairs will be completed. It is why repeated failures continue and what will change before residents face another prolonged blackout.
JPOMA calls on the City and City Power to: • Implement effective protection of Central Substation and the underground electricity network, and explain how its effectiveness will be monitored. • Publish findings on the repeated fires and address identified engineering and security failures. • Provide a funded repair and prevention plan with named responsibility, deadlines and public progress reports. • Give residents reliable, area-specific restoration updates and coordinate emergency water support where outages interrupt supply. • Engage directly with affected communities, businesses and property owners.
Continued disruption threatens residents’ livelihoods and confidence in living in the inner city, putting years of regeneration at risk. Residents need more than another restoration announcement. They need electricity that stays on, access to water and a credible explanation of how the next failure will be prevented.
ENDS Media enquiries: Angela Rivers Executive Head – Johannesburg Property Owners and Managers Association (JPOMA) 084 291 9087 angela@jpoma.co.za
National Treasury has moved to temporarily withhold July 2026 equitable share transfers to 69 municipalities, including some of South Africa’s biggest metros, in an attempt to force councils to clean up unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
Given CoJ’s existing financial challenges, this decision by National Treasury will be closely monitored as any prolonged withholding could place additional pressure on municipal cash flow, potentially affecting infrastructure maintenance, service delivery and turnaround times on municipal processes.
JPOMA will continue to monitor developments and engage with the City where necessary. We will keep members informed of any material changes.
An important contribution to the ongoing debate around Johannesburg’s 2026/27 budget.
While the City faces significant financial and infrastructure challenges, affordability must remain a key consideration. Excessive tariff increases risk placing additional pressure on households, tenants, businesses and property owners who are already struggling with rising costs.
JPOMA supports a balanced approach that strengthens municipal finances while ensuring that residents and businesses can continue to participate in and contribute to the formal economy.
Published by the Sunday Times on 31 May 2026 An unsustainable Joburg budget will lead to a death spiral “Two academics and a civil society leader point to bloated wage and salary bills for both staff and executives as one of the main issues in the metro’s malaise“
On Day 2 of the Reside Summit, a robust panel discussion moderated by Marius Muller (SoHo Properties) brought together Angela Rivers (JPOMA), Ben Espach (Rates Watch), Katlego Ditshego (JOSHCO), Sanelisiwe Ngcobo (Ngcobo SN Inc), and Keyuren Maharaj (CityMender SA) to examine the implications of class action lawsuits against municipalities, unpacking their impact on service delivery, accountability, and investor confidence in the urban development landscape.
The key takeaway for JPOMA GM Angela Rivers was that it was great to be part of such a passionate and knowledgeable panel. The message however, is clear: litigation is not the solution, but right now it feels like the only course of action when all other avenues are exhausted. The City of Joburg needs to get the basics right to fix the trust deficit.
On 18 May 2026 Angela Rivers appeared on Newzroom Afrika to discuss the pros and cons of residents maintaining their neighbourhoods where CoJ is failing with service delivery.
“What began as a community initiative to paint street kerbs has evolved into a formal partnership between a residential association and the City of Johannesburg. The Blairgowrie Community Association’s partnership with the city is part of a broader D-I-Y project, where residential associations help restore and maintain public spaces. Residents contribute funding and volunteer labour, while the city provides formal approval, technical support and coordination. Angela Rivers, General manager of the Johannesburg property owners and managers association weighs in”.
If you could fix one barrier in residential development in South Africa today, what would it be?
Municipal approvals delaying projects? Infrastructure capacity limiting development? Access to funding for new housing developments? Policy uncertainty affecting investment decisions? Across the residential property sector, these are the real conversations developers, investors and policymakers are having right now. Demand for housing continues to grow, yet delivering new residential developments is becoming increasingly complex. From navigating regulatory processes to securing funding and infrastructure support, the development landscape is evolving rapidly.
At the upcoming 4th Annual Residential Investment & Development Summit, industry leaders will unpack these challenges and explore practical solutions shaping the future of housing in South Africa. Some of the key conversations include:
Streamlining for Scale A panel discussion examining policy reforms aimed at fast-tracking project approvals and unlocking state-owned land for development. Making the Case for Residential Investment A deep dive into international and local case studies that are attracting institutional and foreign capital into residential development. Decoding Semigration and Urbanisation An analysis of demographic and household trends that are reshaping demand in South Africa’s multi-family residential markets. Financing the Green Transition Exploring how developers can access green bonds and preferential funding for sustainable residential developments. Rethinking Townships: From Risk to Resilience A powerful discussion unpacking investment opportunities and misconceptions around township developments.
These are just some of the conversations taking place at the ResideSummit, where developers, investors, financiers, and government come together to explore the opportunities shaping South Africa’s residential landscape. If you are involved in residential development, housing investment, or urban planning, this is a conversation worth being part of.
