City Power Sacks 5 Employees Who Were Behind Some Illegal Connections in Johannesburg

• Johannesburg City Power said it fired five employees for their role in connecting electricity illegally in parts of Johannesburg
• It launched an internal investigation into illegal electricity and discovered that the utility lost more than R3 billion to illegal connections
• City Power also disconnected electricity in the inner city, and South Africans laughed at City Power's discovery

Tebogo Mokwena, Briefly News's current affairs journalist, offered coverage of current affairs like food, energy, loadshedding, fuel prices and environmental affairs during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG — City Power in Johannesburg dismissed five of its employees after they were implicated in illegally connecting electricity in parts of the metro.

What did City Power discover?

According to SABC News, the power utility said its employees and contractors have been illegally connecting electricity. The five who were fired also committed other crimes. City Power has instituted disciplinary processes for several other employees. Criminal cases have been opened against some employees.

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City Power's pockets are bleeding

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the institution lost R4 billion to illegal electrical connections. He said that a quarter of the electricity it buys from Eskom does not reach customers. This is because informal settlements that are mushrooming across Johannesburg connect electricity illegally. He also said the power utility struggles with infrastructure and financial losses from severely dodgy payment processes.

What you need to know about electricity in Gauteng

• Businesses and households in Lenasia were hit with power outages after City Power disconnected them in November 2024 for owing more than R60 million in debt
• City Power also targeted two Fourway estates and cut electricity connections due to an unpaid bill of R130 million and illegal connections
• Eskom said in December that it was struggling with vandalism and urged community members to report vandalism instances
• City Power disconnected 120 homes in Kliptown in January for tampering with their electricity meters
• The South African Local Government Association warned in March that the increasing costs of electricity because of tariff hikes could result in more illegal connections

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What did South Africans say?

Netizens commenting on SABC News' Facebook post were not surprised that employees were behind illegal connections.

Nkululeko Skhethabahle Dube said:

"In other others, and safter some thorough research, it was discovered that the sun sets in the west."

Trynos Ndlovu said:

"Some people must not complain about government looting money because they're also looting electricity."

Siyabonga Mthimkhulu said:

"It has been an open secret all along."

Leon Jordaan said:

We all knew that long time ago. You want to tell me Eskom didn't know?"

Jon Gemmel Budricks said:

"Could have told City Power a long time ago: citizens pay a monthly fee for illegal connections."

Malawian national arrested for illegal connections in Alexandra

In a related article, Briefly News reported that a Malawian national was arrested in November for tampering with City Power infrastructure. The utility caught him trying to reconnect his electricity illegally.

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The security officers asked him why he was reconnecting illegally, and he denied it. However, he fled on foot and when they caught him, he resisted the arrest.

Source: Briefly News