City Power condemns infrastructure attacks following inner city arrests

Johannesburg City Power is urging residents to respect the law, protect infrastructure, and allow technicians to perform their duties without intimidation.

The utility issued a stern warning that failure to comply could lead to serious consequences, including the potential suspension of services in volatile areas.

This warning follows the arrest of three suspects linked to a group that disrupted a service centre in the inner city this past week.

The group was reportedly protesting an unplanned outage in Bezuidenhout Valley, which had been caused by a faulty cable. During the incident, the group allegedly forced entry, disrupted essential operations, and damaged utility property while demanding immediate assistance.

READ: Three arrested for storming City Power's service delivery centre

City Power Spokesperson Isaac Mangena clarified that outages are managed through established procedures. Repairs are typically attended to in the order they are reported, unless safety concerns or critical risks require immediate priority. Mangena emphasised that the utility maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding the safety of its teams and will prioritise the well-being of its workforce above all else.

"We will not hesitate to withdraw any of our services if our employees are threatened, attacked, or even subjected to unruly behaviour. We have seen an increase in these kinds of attacks on our staff members, our technicians, and contractors."

The inner-city disruption is part of a worrying trend of violence against utility workers. Mangena cited a recent incident in Alexandra as a prime example of the dangers technicians face, noting that a vehicle was hijacked and toolboxes, along with personal belongings, were stolen.

"We hope that the police will move quickly to ensure that those suspects are arrested," Mangena stated. City Power maintains that while it understands the frustration caused by power outages, criminal behaviour only serves to delay repairs and puts the stability of the local infrastructure at risk.