Joburg Children’s Institute Plunged into Darkness

Key Takeaways:

• The Children’s Memorial Institute (CMI) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, has had its power cut off by City Power due to a disputed R41-million bill.
• The CMI is home to 20 NGOs that provide services to special needs children, and the power cut has forced them to slash services.
• The Gauteng Department of Health, which is the primary consumer of water and electricity on the site, has been in a dispute with City Power over unpaid bills for years.
• The CMI has taken the matter to court, seeking an urgent application to have the power restored and to compel the City of Johannesburg to find a resolution to the dispute.
• The court case highlights the need for government departments to take responsibility for their actions and to prioritize the needs of vulnerable children.

Introduction to the Crisis
The Children’s Memorial Institute (CMI) in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, is facing a crisis after City Power cut off the power to the campus, which houses 20 NGOs that provide services to special needs children. The power cut is a result of a disputed R41-million bill that the City of Joburg says it is owed. However, the CMI is not the account holder, and the Gauteng Department of Health, which runs its laundries for the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital on the campus, is the primary consumer of water and electricity on the site.

The Dispute Over Unpaid Bills
The dispute between City Power and the Gauteng Department of Health over unpaid bills has been ongoing for years. The department has been able to buy diesel to run its generators following the power cut, but the NGOs on the campus do not have the luxury of huge reserve funds and have been forced to slash services. This is not the first time that the CMI has faced a crisis due to unpaid bills. In July, the institute was forced to take the matter to court over a disputed water bill, and it took a high court order to have the water turned on again.

The Impact on NGOs and Children
The power cut has had a significant impact on the NGOs and children who rely on the services provided by the CMI. Dr. Dee Blackie, a CMI board member and founder of the Sensory Space, says that the institute had to spend over R30,000 in the first week on diesel, which came from their emergency funds. As a result, they had to scale back on all non-essential services, including counseling and support for children who have been traumatized or abused. The CMI is home to a number of NGOs, including Childline, which fields a high volume of calls during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.

The Court Case
The CMI has headed back to court with an urgent application to have the power restored and to compel the City of Johannesburg to find a resolution to the dispute. Chantelle Gladwin-Wood, partner at HBG Schindlers Attorneys, who is representing the CMI pro bono, says that they will ask the court to restore power immediately on the grounds that City Power failed to give 14 days’ notice to the tenants and occupants. The court will also be asked to make a ruling in the interest of the children and to protect the over 1,000 children who are on site each day and are now unable to access the special needs services they require.

The Future of the CMI
The future of the CMI at its current site remains precarious. The institute has been asking for the installation of separate water and electricity metering and prepaid metering so that individual tenants on the campus can pay their dues separately. However, the installations only started happening after the July court order, and separate billing will not begin until the outstanding amounts are settled. The CMI has also been in a dispute with the Gauteng Department of Education, which stopped paying its contributions to the CMI in April 2024. The department’s non-payments have resulted in R100,000-a-month deficits to the CMI, and the institute has had to institute separate legal action to recover about R2-million.

Government Response
The Gauteng Department of Health did not answer questions from the Daily Maverick but forwarded a press statement that stated that all invoices received from the City of Johannesburg for facilities under its responsibility have been processed and paid to date. However, any invoice linked to the CMI is currently under review due to irregularities identified in the billing system. The department confirmed that Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital has been responsible for managing the CMI’s utility payments, including those for water and electricity. The department said that it will continue engaging with City Power and the City of Johannesburg to resolve the pressing issues as swiftly as possible.

Conclusion
The crisis at the CMI highlights the need for government departments to take responsibility for their actions and to prioritize the needs of vulnerable children. The dispute over unpaid bills has had a significant impact on the NGOs and children who rely on the services provided by the CMI. The court case is a crucial step in finding a resolution to the dispute and ensuring that the children who rely on the services provided by the CMI are not left to suffer. The CMI and the NGOs that operate on the campus are calling for a swift resolution to the dispute and for the government departments involved to take responsibility for their actions.