Ekurhuleni R2bn billing heist claim demands an SIU-level answer
Allegations that hackers and municipal insiders manipulated electricity bills in Ekurhuleni have triggered calls for a presidential SIU proclamation.
A municipal scandal with national implications
The Democratic Alliance has urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to authorise a Special Investigating Unit probe into an alleged R2-billion billing fraud at the City of Ekurhuleni.
The claim is explosive: hackers and city officials allegedly manipulated electricity bills, cleared invoices and distorted municipal revenue records.
Why residents should care
Billing fraud is not only an accounting problem. It shifts costs onto honest ratepayers, weakens service delivery and can hide political patronage inside municipal systems.
The missing facts
The central questions are simple: who had system access, who benefited from cleared accounts, and why internal controls did not detect the alleged manipulation sooner?
Sources: News24 reporting published on 15 May 2026 and related political statements.
Investigative journalist. Specialises in corruption, governance and accountability reporting.