Johannesburg’s power supply is under attack from organised crime syndicates that City Power says may even involve insiders.
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena revealed that replacing stolen or vandalised high-voltage equipment costs between R800,000 and R1.2 million per unit. “Between March and mid-August 2025, 28 cases of theft and vandalism were recorded… in some cases, just days after repairs were completed,” he said.
The latest case occurred on 26 August in Lombardy East, where another transformer was vandalised. Mangena warned: “We are making headway in dismantling what appears to be a coordinated, organised crime group hellbent on sabotaging our operations.”
City Power is working with SAPS, private security firms, and its own security unit to track down the perpetrators, which could include staff or contractors.
“Between March and mid-August 2025, 28 cases of theft and vandalism were recorded. In some cases, just days after repairs were completed…”
The incidents have coincided with extended blackouts across parts of Johannesburg, despite data showing medium-voltage outages from theft and vandalism have dropped 70% since July 2023.
This progress comes from crackdowns such as the closure of 1,079 scrap yards earlier this year by the Gauteng Provincial Government. Yet copper theft remains lucrative, with Eskom estimating annual losses of R2 billion to R7 billion.
Despite recent gains, City Power says the fight against cable theft is far from over: syndicates continue to put Johannesburg’s grid, and its residents, in the dark.
Read the full article at BusinessTech
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