City Power Promises ‘Tough Actions’ After Senior Manager’s Electricity Theft Incident
Johannesburg – City Power has announced that it will report a senior manager from its planning department to the police for devising a scheme to steal electricity.
The senior manager in question owns rental accommodation units in the Hursthill area, which include approximately eight rooms.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena stated that the official, who was discovered to have tampered with an electricity meter, “will also face internal disciplinary action as we continue to eliminate misconduct and any form of criminality within our ranks.”
Mangena emphasized: “This is part of our ongoing dedication to uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability within our organization.”
Mangena recounted the events leading to the discovery of the irregularity on Thursday, (20 March 2025), explaining that the City Power Revenue Protection Unit visited the employee, “following our routine day-to-day auditing and monitoring” of customers’ purchasing patterns.
He noted that the auditing and monitoring revealed a concerning trend of irregular electricity purchases stretching back to 2014, with cases where electricity went unpaid for months.
“Recorded payments were inconsistent, varying from R500 to several thousand rand, and notably, this month, no electricity was purchased at all despite the property being lit during our team’s visit,” Mangena reported.
City Power regularly conducts audits that include random home visits and system monitoring to flag accounts with irregular payments.
He mentioned that the City Power operation on Thursday was part of the Executive Mayor’s Rejuvenation programme, which originated in the Inner City and is expanding across Johannesburg.
Mangena acknowledged that tampering with meters to evade electricity payment is a prevalent issue among rental property owners.
“We will intensify our efforts against this type of electricity theft,” Mangena warned.
Regarding the senior manager, Mangena indicated that he not only faces internal consequences and potential criminal charges, but will also incur a significant reconnection fee.
“This incident follows a recent investigation that resulted in 15 employees receiving notices of disciplinary action for colluding with service providers to defraud City Power, leading to considerable financial losses,” Mangena revealed.
He stated that the implicated service providers are under investigation, and their payments have been frozen pending the completion of the ongoing review.
“One of the employees associated with fraud is currently facing criminal charges,” Mangena mentioned.
“As part of our commitment to enhancing governance and reinforcing internal controls, as advised by the AG and our internal investigations, we are heightening our actions against ethical violations and any form of criminality, beginning within our own ranks.”
Commenting on the situation, City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava stated: “We are adopting a renewed and robust approach towards electricity theft, which has significantly impacted our financial losses in the past year.”
“Municipal staff, including employees and councillors, must adhere to the same standards we expect from our customers.”
“Charity begins at home – thus, we will focus on municipal employees as a starting point in our efforts to restore integrity and trust in our operations.”
Mashava cautioned City of Johannesburg employees that any instance of meter tampering or bypassing will lead to serious repercussions.
“We are currently assessing the total losses incurred, which could reach tens or even hundreds of thousands of rands,” Mashava noted.
“City Power remains steadfast in its commitment to combat all forms of criminal conduct and to minimize financial losses, thereby restoring the entity’s financial stability – in order to enhance the overall services we deliver to our customers.”
“We also urge customers to continue paying for their electricity usage and to refrain from stealing electricity.”
“We will persist in implementing measures that strengthen our governance and internal controls to protect the interests of our community and the integrity of our services.”