City Power says residents of Tshepisong continue to use electricity without paying for it, and when they recently went to the area to disconnect illegal connections, their officials were held hostage, and later forced to leave the area.
The City Power workers wanted to continue with the disconnections yesterday but had to abandon that plan after the police's risk assessment showed they won't be safe, and that the police did not have enough manpower to escort them.
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the power utility had spent R8m since January to replace 20 pole-mounted transformers in the township west of Johannesburg.
He said the costly transformer replacements stem largely from system overloading caused by widespread illegal connections and bypassed meters. Despite repeated maintenance efforts, City Power says not resident are not paying for electricity they use.
“Tshepisong is one of those areas where City Power is not collecting revenue from the community. Only 3% of electricity is being purchased and that comes solely from commercial clients: a cheese factory, Pick n Pay, and a BP garage. We are not getting a single cent from the residents,” said Mangena.
Only 3% of electricity is being purchased and that comes solely from commercial clients: a cheese factory, Pick n Pay, and a BP garage.
— City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena
He also painted a grim picture of an ongoing crisis in the township , where electricity theft, vandalism, and violent resistance have made service provision dangerous and unsustainable.
The situation reached boiling point last week after City Power disconnected electricity supply in parts of Tshepisong. The move sparked widespread outrage, with angry residents taking to the streets demanding power be restored immediately, and also holding the officials hostage.
Meanwhile, a City Power official has raised concerns about escalating criminal acts, including the kidnapping of employees, allegedly by residents opposed to the enforcement of billing systems. “Their actions, including kidnapping, are basically a way of saying they do not want to pay for electricity," said the official.
"Efforts by the entity to normalise the situation through the installation and repair of prepaid meters have been met with fierce resistance, with many residents refusing to allow work to proceed. It’s clear that they do not want to be customers of City Power. That’s why we’ve made the difficult decision to disconnect the area until we can reach an agreement with the community leadership.
“We cannot continue to operate under these conditions it’s both financially and operationally unsustainable. "We remain committed to providing electricity to all communities, but we need the cooperation of residents, especially when it comes to paying for the services they use.”
Mangena, said the SAPS has advised City Power not to return at this stage, citing the risk of violence and their inability to ensure the safety of officials, given that law enforcement is currently outnumbered. “We are listening to the police. They are the experts in matters of safety and have told us not to go in until it is secure. The plan is to return on August 5, the date SAPS believes a coordinated and safe re-entry can take place,” he said.
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