City Power has vowed to crack down on illegal connections and vandalism of its infrastructure throughout Johannesburg.
Image: Timothy Bernard/Independent Newspapers
City Power has condemned what it described as a “brazen act of violence” after an angry mob stormed its Lenasia Service Delivery Centre (SDC), assaulting security personnel and vandalising the facility during a dispute over a prolonged electricity outage.
Four security guards were injured in the attack, with two requiring hospital treatment. In one of the most serious incidents, a suspect allegedly drove a vehicle into one of the guards, leaving the officer with serious injuries.
The utility’s spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, said the incident represents “a disturbing escalation in attacks against personnel who play a critical role in safeguarding City Power facilities and supporting the safe delivery of essential electricity services to communities.”
According to City Power, tensions began after a power outage on Monday, June 29, affected Murray Avenue in Lenasia Extension 10, an area the utility described as one of the more affluent residential neighbourhoods in Lenasia.
The utility said its technicians could not immediately respond because they were dealing with an unusually high number of low-voltage faults across Johannesburg’s electricity network during the winter period.
That explanation was provided to affected residents who visited the Lenasia SDC on Tuesday morning. However, the situation later escalated.
City Power said a group of about 20 to 25 people returned to the depot later that day and launched a violent attack on security staff and the facility.
During the assault, the attackers allegedly destroyed the security guard house, smashed windows and left four security officers injured.
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) arrested four suspects shortly after the incident.
They are expected to face charges including attempted murder, assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, public violence and malicious damage to property.
City Power confirmed that police are continuing to search for additional suspects believed to have participated in the attack.
“The utility will continue working closely with the JMPD and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that every individual responsible is brought to justice,” Mangena said.
City Power said attacks on employees, contractors and security personnel would not be tolerated and warned that such incidents directly undermine service delivery.
“Violence, intimidation and attacks on our employees, contractors and security personnel are criminal acts that cannot and will not be tolerated,”Mangena said.
It added that the attacks not only place lives at risk but also divert critical resources away from restoring electricity to customers.
The utility further warned that it could suspend operations in areas where staff safety cannot be guaranteed.
“Where there is a credible threat to the safety of personnel, City Power reserves the right to suspend operations until it is safe for teams to resume work.”
In the wake of the attack, City Power announced that all repair work in the affected area will be preceded by comprehensive electricity meter audits to determine the extent of illegal connections and compliance with electricity vending regulations.
Customers found bypassing meters or connected illegally will face substantial penalties under the utility’s approved tariff structure.
Illegal single-phase connections carry a penalty of R14,000, while three-phase illegal connections attract a charge of R28,000.
The utility also indicated that it may implement broader network normalisation measures, including migrating some customers from prepaid to postpaid electricity meters.
According to City Power, these measures are intended to improve revenue collection, reduce electricity losses, protect critical infrastructure and ensure future investment benefits customers who comply with electricity regulations and payment obligations.
City Power said it plans to meet community leaders and ward representatives in an effort to restore trust and create conditions that allow technical teams to work safely.
The utility appealed to residents to use formal complaint channels rather than resorting to violence.
“We urge residents to reject violence and criminality and to use the established customer engagement channels to raise service delivery concerns,” Mangena said.
“Constructive engagement remains the most effective way to resolve electricity-related challenges, safeguard critical infrastructure and ensure the continued delivery of reliable electricity services to all customers.”
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