The Gauteng Department of Health has assured Johannesburg patients and communities reliant on the Helen Joseph and Rahima Moosa Mother and Child hospitals that the state facilities will not be left in the dark.
The assurance comes after City Power officials last week confronted executives at both state hospitals as part of its crackdown on defaulting and non-paying customers.
The Helen Joseph Hospital and Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital reportedly owed more than R23 million and more than R7m, respectively.
Departmental spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said the department wished to set the record straight on the issue around both hospital's electricity accounts.
Modiba said according to their records, Helen Joseph Hospital did not owe City Power the stated amount of R23.4m, however, he added that there was an outstanding invoice for the month of June that City Power had yet to upload on the e-invoicing portal.
Regarding the Rahima Moosa Hospital, he explained that the payment for July to August 2023 of R2.7m was currently being processed.
Modiba said the management representatives of the two facilities had met with City Power officials on Thursday to present their case, only to realise that what was alleged to be due did not warrant power disconnection.
"The department continues to ensure that supplier payments are processed within the 30-day period subject to verification. As it stands now both facilities have electricity supply and their electricity billing is in a healthy and stable condition and there won't be any termination of electricity power."
He added: "We continue to engage with City Power to ensure that all that is due to them is duly settled following verification of what is billed to the department. We appreciate that local governments depend on those who get services continuing to service their accounts, and we would not want to put them in a precarious situation."