South Africans Furious Over City Power's Court Challenge Against Hawks' Search
- City Power has rejected claims that the utility is trying to obstruct Hawks' ongoing investigation
- This follows the ongoing investigation by the Hawks into the City Power contracts, believed to be irregular
- City Power approached the Gauteng High Court, challenging the legality of a recent search and seizure operation
City Power has strongly rejected the allegation that the utility is making moves to obstruct the ongoing investigation by the Hawks.
Source: Twitter
City Power under investigation
The investigation by the Hawks stems from the City Power contracts believed to be irregular. The utility had a successful court challenge against the Hawks. Earlier this week, City Power approached the Gauteng High Court to challenge the legality of a recent search and seizure operation at its headquarters.
The court ruled in favour of the utility on Thursday, 9 October 2025. The court found that the search warrant obtained by the Hawks was defective. The Hawks have been investigating several City Power contracts believed to be irregular.
Expedition disguised as an investigation
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said that the utility is not opposing the investigation but feels that the Hawks are disregarding due process. He stated that the utility is pleased by the court's decision. Mangena noted that the affidavit on which the Hawks relied was not only defective but also lacked sufficient grounds for their actions.
The spokesperson said that a public institution cannot be raided based on a document that is neither commissioned properly nor grounded in fact. He stated that this was a fishing expedition disguised as an investigation.
Source: Getty Images
South Africans weigh in
While City Power has rejected the allegations, members of the public have voiced their opinions on the matter.
@SirDavid_Dashe said:
"The judiciary is against all the good that the chapter 9 institutions are trying to achieve for a better South Africa."
@nyambenis said:
"The judiciary is a wrecking ball of South Africa. They will let a murderer out on the street, because the warrant of arrest didn’t have a full stop but a semi colon."
@visedge said:
"What is City Power scared of? What are they hiding? They should welcome an investigation."
@static_an said:
"The Judiciary is really against us. Why didn't they define the scope of the warrant and issue a new warrant there and then, rather than just ruling that the warrant is defective."
@demidashgod7 said:
"Who granted the J51, then? The magistrate is supposed to check those and ask the applicant to rectify where necessary!"
@language325 said:
"The Hawks must also visit Tshwane City Power for the same allegations, the City is paying millions to the rogue companies with zero delivery."
@MMtshiza said:
"Busy wasting tax payers' money to hide corruption. Whoever authorized the City Power to take this case to court should be fired."
@Big5GP said:
"The HAWKS are an embarrassment, just like the useless NPA and the captured judiciary."
3 More stories about the Hawks
- Briefly News also reported that the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) arrested two law enforcement officers in KwaZulu-Natal.
- A joint multidisciplinary team arrested five suspects for the murder of an on-duty senior police officer in Ermelo.
- The Eastern Cape Hawks have arrested a woman who allegedly faked her kidnapping to extort money from her family.
Source: Briefly News
