City of Joburg vows to reopen Thuso House after R3.4m debt closure

The City of Johannesburg says it will reopen the Thuso House Customer Service Centre after a R3.4 million payment delay led to the attachment of city assets and the temporary closure of the facility.

What happened

The sheriff of the court attached items from the city’s offices after unpaid creditors totalling R3.4 million were not settled. The action forced the temporary closure of Thuso House, disrupting access to municipal services residents use for billing and general enquiries.

Political reaction and demands for answers

ActionSA leader and finance councillor candidate Mpumi Edward criticised the closure and urged transparency from city leadership. She said:

“It is unacceptable that a critical customer service centre could be brought to a halt because the city has reportedly failed to honour its financial obligations.”

Edward added that the shutdown “not only inconveniences thousands of Johannesburg citizens but also casts doubt on the city’s ability to responsibly manage taxpayers’ money.” She also called on the mayor and senior officials to clarify whether service providers remain unpaid, whether assets were attached due to unpaid debt, and the total value of outstanding payments owed to affected suppliers.

City response

Joburg Mayor Dada Morero acknowledged the delayed payments and said the cause was system glitches. In a statement he said:

“Unfortunately, payment was delayed due to system glitches. Arrangements are currently underway with the Sheriff of the Court to return all items that were removed from the offices. The Centre will be opened to the public for business as usual once all necessary logistics have been completed. The city apologises to residents for the inconvenience caused.”

Next steps

The city says it is making arrangements with the sheriff to return removed items and that Thuso House will reopen once the logistics are complete. ActionSA has requested urgent clarification from the mayor, the city manager and the MMC for Finance on outstanding supplier payments and the reasons for processing delays.

Reporting for this story was based on statements and details provided by the City of Johannesburg and comments from ActionSA as published by IOL.