The City of Johannesburg has instituted legal proceedings against former Zimbabwe national football team captain Benjani Mwaruwari, seeking to recover more t...
The City of Johannesburg has instituted legal proceedings against former Zimbabwe national football team captain Benjani Mwaruwari, seeking to recover more than R1.35 million in allegedly unpaid municipal charges relating to his property in Kyalami Estates, north of Johannesburg.
According to summons filed in the Johannesburg High Court, the municipality claims Mwaruwari owes R1,353,896 for municipal services rendered to the property. The City alleges that it continuously supplied electricity, water, sanitation and refuse removal services, but the charges remained unpaid, resulting in substantial arrears.
Mwaruwari, 48, is a retired Zimbabwean footballer who enjoyed a successful professional career in England and France. The Bulawayo-born former striker played for Jomo Cosmos, Auxerre, Portsmouth and Manchester City before retiring from professional football. He is currently the Head of Football at Highlanders FC in Zimbabwe.
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Court papers state that the outstanding municipal account remained unpaid as of June 2026. The municipality argues that property owners who open municipal accounts in their own names are legally responsible for all charges incurred on those properties.
In its particulars of claim, the City says it is empowered under the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act and the Municipal Property Rates Act to levy and recover charges for municipal services. It further states that it has a legal obligation to collect all outstanding revenue owed to the municipality.
According to the summons, Mwaruwari allegedly received regular monthly municipal statements but neither disputed the charges reflected on the account nor settled the outstanding balance.
The City says its claim consists of a previous account balance of R1,338,375.47, municipal charges for June 2026 amounting to R14,855.76, and R664.77 in interest on arrears. The June charges include R8,065.90 for electricity, R1,607.86 for water and sanitation, R3,182.38 for property rates, R477 for refuse removal and R1,522.62 in value-added tax (VAT).
The municipality further states that it issued a formal letter of demand on 17 June 2026, which was served on Mwaruwari two days later. According to the court papers, the notice informed him of the outstanding balance and outlined several debt resolution options, including entering into a payment arrangement or referring the matter to a debt counsellor, an alternative dispute resolution agent, an ombud with jurisdiction or a consumer court.
The City alleges that Mwaruwari neither responded to the letter of demand nor settled the outstanding debt. It is seeking payment of R1,353,896, interest at 10.5% per annum, alternatively the prescribed legal rate from 17 June 2026 until final payment, legal costs and any further relief the court considers appropriate.
Mwaruwari has not yet filed a plea responding to the municipality’s allegations. As with all civil litigation, the claims contained in the summons remain allegations before the court and have not yet been tested through legal proceedings. No findings have been made by the court regarding the merits of the case.
