Joburg City Power Battles Armed Criminals As Cable Theft Escalates, SA Wants the Buyers Arrested

• Cable theft continues to escalate in Johannesburg as City Power now has to contend with armed criminals
• The power utility is also concerned about the number of people being released after their arrest for cable theft
• South Africans also want the buyers to be arrested to eliminate the demand for stolen cables

Briefly News journalist Byron Pillay has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He spent 10 years working for the Northern Natal Courier before transitioning to online journalism.

GAUTENG – Johannesburg City Power’s attempts to stamp out cable theft in the city are being met with violent resistance.

Cable theft remains a huge problem in Johannesburg and other parts of the country, as criminal syndicates aren’t backing down without a fight. Since the beginning of 2025, more than 170 criminals have already been arrested for cable theft, as the crime continues to escalate.

City Power has also had to deal with problems within, as three employees were arrested in August 2024 for stealing copper brazing rods worth R20,000.

Criminals engage in shootouts with officials

Speaking about the spike in the crime trend, City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, stated that it was now becoming a serious war.

He explained that as the power utility continued to dismantle syndicates that targeted the city's electricity network, they found that more thieves were arming themselves.

"It’s a war and a serious war, especially in the underground tunnels. We have seen an increase in the number of shootouts that are happening between our teams and some of the cable thieves underground," Mangena said.

It's not just Gauteng where the problem of cable theft exists. In September 2024, police recovered over R20 million worth of stolen copper cables at a scrapyard in KwaZulu-Natal.

Failure to prosecute criminals frustrates power utility

As the crime trend continues to inflict heavy financial losses on the city and disrupt essential services, City Power has expressed concern about failures in the justice system.

In March 2025, a man was found inside the Fordsburg Substation tunnel with hacksaws, blades, and freshly cut copper cables.

It was the second time he had been arrested in seven months in the same area for the same crime. Despite being arrested before, he was released and returned to commit the same crime. City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava said that this showed a serious failure in the justice system.

“While we are appreciative of the work done by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), we are concerned about repeat offenders being released without any proper explanation and returning to commit the same crime,” she said.

Mashava noted that since the start of the financial year, 306 suspects had been arrested for cable theft and vandalism, but only 21 had been successfully prosecuted.

South Africans want the buyers arrested

Social media users weighed in on the escalating crime trend, with some stating that if there were no buyers, there would be no need to steal cables. Others expressed concerns that those arrested would be released.

Ma-Les Nhlapo said:

“Surely half of them are contractors of City Power.”

Izilda De Freitas asked:

“Who are they selling the cables to? Arrest them. If there is no demand, they will stop stealing it.”

Celani Nkonyane added:

“And they will be released on R500 bail, or some on warning.”

Wat Ros suggested:

They’re probably foreigners who will be released on bribes to do it again.”

@daveawalker_61 stated:

“Arrest the people buying the cables and those exporting cables.”

Eskom employee arrested for copper cable theft

In March 2025, Briefly News reported that a second senior Eskom employee was arrested in connection with cable theft.

The employee at the Tutuka Power Station appeared in court for the alleged involvement in a R3 million copper cable theft.

A total of eight suspects were arrested for the September 2024 crime, including two Mozambican nationals.

Source: Briefly News