By Everson Luhanga
- Three City Power operators from Roodepoort hand themselves over to police and appear in court on charges of tampering with vital infrastructure.
- A Malawian man and three other suspects are arrested in separate raids, as City Power ramps up operations against syndicates targeting Johannesburg’s electricity network.
City Power says it is cracking down on cable theft and corruption within its own ranks after several arrests across Johannesburg.
On Friday, 12 September, three suspended operators from the Roodepoort Service Delivery Centre handed themselves over to the police.
They were charged with tampering with essential infrastructure and appeared at the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 15 September.
The case dates back to July, when private security officers on patrol in Ruimsig found a copper cable cut open inside a trench. City Power staff later arrived at the scene, claiming they were collecting the cable for salvage.
“Investigations revealed irregular paperwork and attempts by the operators to replace the stolen cable with the wrong one. They were suspended in July and later linked to the case after it was reopened with fresh evidence.”
City Power chief executive Tshifularo Mashava said: “We cannot and will not allow criminals, whether external syndicates or our own employees, to sabotage our network and undermine service delivery to paying customers.”
“These arrests should send a strong message that City Power is determined to root out these criminals, to protect our infrastructure and ensure accountability at every level,” Mashava said.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility would continue to work closely with police and private security to protect infrastructure. “These crimes do not only affect our business but also cause immense suffering for residents who are left without power. We will not stop until syndicates and internal colluders are brought to book,” Mangena said.
The arrests come as City Power intensifies operations against syndicates. On 10 September, three men were caught dragging cables inside service tunnels near Kazerne Substation. Two days later, a suspect was arrested in Ennerdale while trying to steal protection cables from Eskom’s substation. Another man was arrested the same night after being caught hiding on top of cable racks in Johannesburg’s tunnels.
City Power has warned that syndicates are becoming more organised, but vowed that the fight against them will not stop.
Pictured above: One of the suspects arrested.
Image source: City Power
