By Everson Luhanga
- City Power arrested 11 employees, fired several others and halted payments to dodgy contractors after a major internal corruption probe.
- In just one year, cable theft and vandalism dropped by 27% and arrests went up from 165 to 216, thanks to joint police raids.
City Power says it is getting tough on criminals inside and outside the company as it marks International Anti-Corruption Day with a fresh pledge to clean up.
The Johannesburg power utility held an event on Friday, 6 December, where it committed to fighting fraud, cable theft and dodgy deals. The day was packed with workshops led by experts from the Industrial Development Corporation and Barloworld South Africa.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said: “Corruption has weakened our internal systems, cost us millions and damaged our reputation. But we are taking a firm stand. We are tightening controls, ramping up oversight and rebuilding public trust.”
The utility has fired or arrested several employees linked to a major corruption scandal involving fake job numbers, dodgy invoices and bribery. A forensic investigation exposed the rot after it was launched in October 2023 by CEO Tshifularo Mashava.
Out of the fifteen staff implicated, one case is already in court. Eleven workers were arrested between July and February, and some have been dismissed. City Power also blocked payments to dodgy contractors while it cleans up its procurement system.
Chief Commercial Officer Thamsanqa Mathiso said staff who collude with cable thieves or help vandalise infrastructure are stealing from the public and risking lives. He said City Power is now running anti-corruption roadshows at its centres to push ethical behaviour.
Mathiso also praised the progress made in cleaning up its finances. The company fixed 155% of audit findings from the Auditor-General and 163% from its own internal audits.
Under Mashava’s leadership, arrests for infrastructure crimes jumped from 165 to 216 last year. City Power worked with police and metro cops on more than 1,157 operations in areas hit hard by illegal connections and cable theft.
Thanks to these efforts, cable theft and vandalism dropped by 27%, down from 1,556 cases to 1,140.
Mangena said the work is far from over: “We are not stopping here. Our anti-corruption drive is ongoing and we will continue to act firmly, fairly and fast against any wrongdoing.”
Speakers at the event also stressed the need to protect whistleblowers and enforce ethical standards.
Sandy Makola, City Power’s Chief Audit Executive, said the audit showed serious gaps in how contractors were hired and paid. New systems are now in place to block fake invoices and improve checks.
Mangena added: “We owe it to our residents to deliver services honestly and fairly. That is our promise, and we are keeping it.”
Pictured above: From left to right, City Power Senior Manager for Fraud, Ethics and Governance, Fulufhelo Neudani, Nontokozo Faith Radebe, from Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Advocate Oliver Josie, and Dr. Yondela Ndema, Barloworld South Africa.
Image source: Everson Luhanga
