The Tshwane University of Technology lost power after failing to pay a R5.8 million electricity bill. This happened during the Ya Tima Campaign where Mayor Nasiphi Moya leads efforts to cut power to customers who don’t pay their bills. On September 15 2025 the mayor and city workers went to different places to cut power. They focused on big businesses and places that owed money. The total unpaid bills for that day were more than R25 million. The Ya Tima campaign started this year. It aims to get back money from people and businesses who haven’t paid for city services. The city cuts off electricity & water when people don’t pay. Other cities like Johannesburg have similar programs. Mayor Moya often goes with the teams that cut power. She says big businesses have gotten used to not paying on time. This is why she joins these operations to show they are serious. When customers don’t pay their bills the city struggles to fix things and provide good services to everyone. The campaign has mixed reactions. Some people think it’s good for fixing the city’s money problems. Others worry about how it affects places like universities when they lose power.
Power Cut Drama: TUT Pays Up After Disconnection Shock
On Monday the power company cut electricity at Tshwane University of Technology because they had not paid their R5.8 million power bill. This caused big problems for students and staff who needed power for classes and daily work. The power cut was part of a program called Ya Tima that warns people before cutting their power. City workers showed up without notice to disconnect the electricity. This left many buildings without power & caused a lot of confusion. TUT is not the only place with these problems. Other government buildings have also had their power cut off for not paying bills. For example the State Information Technology Agency lost power in August 2025 when they didn’t pay R3.2 million. TUT paid their bill quickly and got their power back the same day. Their spokesperson said they want to keep good relations with the city. But this shows how many universities struggle to pay their bills when they don’t get enough money from the government. Students were upset because they couldn’t do online classes or use labs. TUT has more than 60000 students and is important for education in South Africa. This event shows how universities are having trouble paying their bills as costs keep going up.
Ya Tima Targets More: Luxury Hotels and Homes Also Face the Heat
The Ya Tima team went to more places after TUT. They cut power at the Protea Hotel in Hatfield because it owed R7 million for electricity. The hotel is part of Marriott and many business people and tourists stay there. They had to use backup power for basic needs. The hotel staff did not want to talk but they were trying to fix the payment issue. In Arcadia they found a building that owed R3.7 million and cut its power too. Another building on Arcadia Street in Sunnyside owed R2 million and was stealing electricity. The city locked it up & took legal steps against the owners. Moya from the city said they will keep working to get the money owed to them. They need this money to help people in the city. Ya Tima has gotten good results since it started. They cut power at Transnet’s office for a R56 million debt in July 2025. They also got R18 million in one day from areas like Pretoria West and Soshanguve. Some people say Ya Tima is too strict since businesses are still recovering from Covid. But others think it’s needed to help fix the city’s money problems as they are R23 billion in debt.
City of Tshwane’s Mounting Debt and The Origin of Ya Tima Blitz
The city of Tshwane has a big problem with unpaid bills. Many people & businesses have not paid their accounts which adds up to billions in debt. In 2024 the city started the Ya Tima project to get this money back. They send teams to visit people who owe money and cut off services if needed. The city wants to get back R6 billion each year. They need this money to fix roads and water systems. But collecting money has been hard. They only got 85% of what they wanted last year instead of their 95% goal. This causes problems with city services. Some people steal electricity or mess with their meters. Others just don’t pay their bills. The city has collected R500 million so far but needs much more. In student areas like Sunnyside many renters don’t pay and landlords are hard to find. To stop people from stealing services the city now uses better meters. They also give big fines to people who cheat the system. The city keeps working to fix these problems but it’s not easy.
Community Reacts to Power Cuts: Service Disruptions & Public Anger
Tshwane cannot provide good services when people don’t pay their bills. The city must take care of many roads water pipes and power lines for its residents. The mayor wants to use the money to fix problems like sewage issues and improve poor areas. When the city doesn’t get money, nothing gets fixed and people get angry. Some people think the payment campaign is good because they are tired of paying more to cover others who don’t pay. Other residents want payment plans or debt forgiveness. Business owners are worried about losing customers when their power gets cut off. When the university paid quickly, it showed that cutting services can work to get payment. Political groups have different views. Some support getting payments but say the city should focus more on getting money from government offices that owe billions. Others say the campaign is unfair to poor people and want to know how the city spends its money.
