City Power says it will not proceed with any restoration work or other services in Vezinyawo in Alexandra until all meters are installed, registered and the working environment is secured for its employees and contractors.
This was after its technicians were held hostage and obstructed from doing their work during an operation to install and register electricity metres on Monday.
One suspect fled the scene with the keys, deliberately sabotaging our ability to continue working and severely compromising the safety of our employees
— Isaac Mangena
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said during the operation, several individuals approached and seized the keys of three City Power contractor vehicles, demanding that power be restored before the keys would be returned.
“One suspect fled the scene with the keys, deliberately sabotaging our ability to continue working and severely compromising the safety of our employees,” he said.
He said the Johannesburg metro police, SAPS members and TSS security guards were immediately dispatched to the scene.
“Tow trucks were also arranged to move the stranded bakkies to the nearest City Power service delivery centre.”
The technicians have since opened a case of hijacking.
City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava said criminality and intimidation of the utility's staff will not be tolerated.
“We are committed to enforcing the rule of law and protecting our employees who work daily under difficult and often dangerous conditions to bring services to communities.”
Mashava called on the community leaders, residents and law enforcement to assist in identifying and apprehending the perpetrators.
“Such behaviour, which is often instigated by a few individuals out of personal interest, undermines service delivery, delays infrastructure upgrades and puts workers and communities at risk. Our services in Vezinyawo will remain temporarily suspended until the environment is safe and all meters are installed and registered as required,” Mashava said.
Similar incidents have already affected other communities, such as other parts of Alexandra, where City Power was forced to suspend night-time outage responses due to threats against its staff.
“If the situation in Vezinyawo is not addressed urgently, similar service limitations will be implemented, severely affecting residents’ access to electricity services,” Mangena said.
He said the utility would not compromise on installing and registering prepaid meters and normalising meters in any area.
“It is either the community allows us to normalise meters, or we suspend services, like we have done in areas like Riverpark [Alexandra], Rabie Ridge and Naturena.”
He said in Rabie Ridge and Naturena, residents eventually came forward to co-operate after initial resistance to meter installations.
“As a result, we were able to normalise their meters, leading to a more stable and reliable electricity supply with fewer outages than before. On the other hand, services in Riverpark remain suspended until full co-operation is achieved and the same principle will apply in Vezinyawo.”
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