Best of Johannesburg

Can You Claim for Power Cuts or Water Outages in Joburg 2025?

Published

3 months ago

June 19, 2025

Chiraag

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When the Everyday Goes Dark

You’re halfway through dinner and the lights suddenly cut out. Your inverter’s flat, the Wi-Fi’s down, and dinner’s ruined. Or you wake up to dry taps and no clue when the water will return. Sound familiar? In Johannesburg, this has become more than an inconvenience – it’s a routine disruption. And in 2025, more residents are asking: If this costs me money, can I claim it back?

The short answer: yes – but only under certain conditions.

Also read: Gauteng’s New Number Plate Rules: Myths vs Facts in 2025

Who’s Responsible – and When?

Eskom manages the national grid and implements load shedding to prevent total collapse. Because load shedding is a controlled, nationwide event, compensation is not currently offered for it.

However, when the problem lies with faulty substations, burst pipes, or preventable damage due to poor infrastructure – that’s a different story. In these cases, City Power and Johannesburg Water, as municipal service providers, could be held liable if their negligence causes you loss.

When You Might Be Eligible for Compensation

Compensation claims are only possible if the outage was due to a preventable failure by the municipality. Examples include:

Appliances damaged by power surges or faulty transformers
Food spoiled due to prolonged outages affecting refrigeration
Lost income due to business disruptions linked to outages
Damage or inconvenience caused by unresolved water supply failures

There’s legal precedent for this. In one case, the Public Protector ordered the City of Johannesburg to compensate a resident after their appliances were damaged by a preventable substation fault. So yes – you can claim, if the cause is valid and you have proof.

What You’ll Need to Build a Case

Start by gathering evidence:

Record the date, time, and duration of each outage
Document the impact: damaged goods, spoiled food, lost income, etc.
Take photos, keep receipts, and request repair quotes

Once you’ve gathered your proof, lodge a formal complaint with City Power or Johannesburg Water. Make sure you get a reference number and keep copies of every communication.

If you’re not satisfied with the response, escalate the matter to:

NERSA (National Energy Regulator of South Africa) for electricity
National Consumer Commission for consumer-related complaints

If those avenues don’t work, consult a legal expert. You’ll typically need to send a letter of demand within six months of the incident and begin legal proceedings within three years, under the Prescription Act.

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Image 1: Pexels

Public Pressure Is Shifting the System

Across Johannesburg, residents are becoming their own watchdogs. WhatsApp groups, Facebook posts, and X threads (formerly Twitter) are packed with photos of leaking pipes, burning transformers, and live outage tracking.

In 2023, a major Gauteng High Court ruling confirmed that Eskom has a constitutional duty to protect essential public services from power cuts. That judgment has helped affirm a growing legal position: access to electricity and water is a basic right, not a luxury.

Don’t Overlook Free Basic Services

If you’re part of a low-income household, you may qualify for Free Basic Electricity and Water. These are municipal support systems that can reduce the financial impact of outages. While they won’t prevent cuts, they help cover the basics. Be sure to check your registration status with the City of Johannesburg.

How to Start the Compensation Process

Document everything — time of outage, damages, photos, invoices.
Lodge a formal complaint — City Power or Johannesburg Water.
Keep all reference numbers and communication records.
Escalate to NERSA or the National Consumer Commission if unresolved.
Seek legal advice if necessary — especially if your losses are substantial.

Joburgers have learned to live around outages – with backup batteries, solar panels, JoJo tanks, and memorised load shedding schedules. But that doesn’t mean we have to accept the damage and disruption without recourse.

If your losses are due to municipal mismanagement, and you’ve got the paperwork to back it up, you might be entitled to compensation.

So next time the lights go out or the water cuts off – don’t just absorb the loss. Report it. Log it. And if necessary, claim it.