Civil society organisation the Johannesburg Crisis Alliance (JCA) says the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) has not provided information to residents and businesses about State-owned Eskom’s threatened interruption of electricity supply to the city.

The public still has not been told the full nature of the dispute, CoJ's obligations, the status of negotiations or what is being done to prevent a crisis.

Residents, businesses, property owners, civic organisations, and investors are being asked to absorb the risk of a major electricity dispute without the facts they need to make decisions, it says.

The uncertainty puts service continuity, business planning, investment confidence and household preparedness at risk.

“Public statements by senior government and CoJ leaders had suggested the matter had been resolved.

“The later confirmation that no agreement had been reached directly contradicted those assurances and deepened public uncertainty, damaged public trust and denied affected stakeholders a fair chance to prepare,” the JCA says.

The crisis is further compounded by the extremely limited time given to the public to respond to Eskom’s Promotion of Administrative Justice Act notice.

Civic organisations, businesses, ratepayers and residents cannot make informed submissions while critical information remains undisclosed. There can be no meaningful public participation without full disclosure and adequate time to consider the consequences, the JCA says.

The JCA demands that CoJ and utility City Power disclose the facts behind the dispute, including the state of negotiations, the financial and operational issues involved, and the measures in place to protect residents and businesses.

It also demands that Eskom extend the deadline for public representations and release the information stakeholders need to respond properly, and that national government and regulators must ensure this process is transparent, fair and accountable.

“Johannesburg cannot be expected to face a threat of this scale through secrecy, mixed messages and last-minute processes. Millions of people depend on honest communication and decisive action.

“The Alliance will continue to demand transparency, accountability and meaningful public participation until this matter is resolved in the open.”