After Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria paid up its unpaid energy bills to the City of Tshwane, South Africa, the city’s authorities cut off and then restored the mission’s electricity supply.
Dr. Nasiphi Moya, the Executive Mayor of Tshwane, announced the power disconnection today. He did so on X as part of the city’s stricter enforcement of credit control.
“We’ve cut off the power at the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s High Commission.” Moya said, “They owe the city for utilities.”
Tshwane’s continuous crackdown on outstanding municipal accounts affected a number of institutions, including the Nigerian High Commission. The campaign has focused on individual homes, businesses, government departments, and state-owned firms. City officials have made it clear that no organization, no matter how diplomatic or institutional, is free from paying its bills.
After the disconnection, Mayor Moya said that the problem had been fixed after the Nigerian mission paid.
“We thank the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for paying off its debt to the city.” She claimed in a follow-up post that the city would reconnect the electricity, confirming that power had been restored to the building.
The Guardian says that Tshwane has had more and more trouble making money in recent years, mostly because of unpaid municipal bills that add up to billions of rand.
In response, the city started the #TshwaneYaTima campaign to make credit-control rules harsher. These rules include cutting off and reconnecting electricity directly to the payment of debts or official repayment plans.
City officials say that the policy is necessary to keep the city’s finances stable, keep up with infrastructure, meet obligations to service providers, and make sure that essential services are always available to people.
The Nigerian High Commission did not respond right away to the occurrence. But the quick payment of the loan and restoration of power suggest that both sides are trying to quickly settle the issue and avoid any diplomatic problems.
At the time of writing this story, the mission had not yet made an official announcement.
After the power was restored, normal operations at Nigeria’s High Commission in Pretoria were able to start up again.
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