Telkom denies not paying R2.8-million electricity bill
Telkom has denied not paying its electricity bills in the City of Joburg.
This comes after the metropolitan municipality’s power distributor — City Power — said it cut off electricity to one of the operator’s technical services sites.
On Thursday, 12 October 2023, City Power posted two tweets saying a Telkom Technical Services property in Linden had an outstanding bill of R2.8 million.
It said it had disconnected the business due to the owed amount and shared an image of two of three fuses that were removed from the site.
Maroela Media quoted City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena as saying Telkom had not made any payments for its electricity bills since 2021.
3 fuses were removed from the switch at Telkom Linden which owes City Power R2.8million .The team went further to disconnect the business due to the outstanding bill owed. pic.twitter.com/6rVAq16NKG
— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) October 12, 2023
In a statement on Tuesday, 17 October 2023, Telkom said it wished to “categorically refute” the claims and clarify its financial relationship with City Power.
“Recent media reports have suggested that Telkom, along with several business and residential customers, is facing disruptions to its power supply due to unpaid electricity bills,” Telkom said.
“Telkom diligently manages its accounts and pays all bills in accordance with agreed terms.”
Telkom said it was designated as a strategic account by City Power and allocated a dedicated key accounts manager to manage its relationship with the city.
“Telkom engages in regular discussions with the City regarding its accounts to ensure seamless financial transactions,” the company stated.
Telkom said suggesting it was not paying its bills was “disingenuous”, adding that it owned multiple properties in the meter and addressed any billing matters promptly through established channels.
“Any assertion that Telkom is in arrears or at risk of having its electricity supply terminated is entirely false and misleading,” Telkom said.
The operator did not acknowledge the disconnection of its technical services site in Linden directly but said it was “addressing several administrative matters related to City Power billings”.
The wording would suggest that Telkom might be in a dispute with the city regarding owed amounts.
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