Johannesburg’s power network is under immense strain while criminal syndicates escalate attacks on critical infrastructure with cable theft reaching “crisis levels”.
City Power has sounded the alarm in a recent statement. “As criminal syndicates grow bolder, the city’s power grid is teetering on the edge of a full-scale crisis,” the utility warns.
The latest incident saw five suspects arrested at the Fordsburg substation last week. City Power’s tactical response team, acting on intelligence, discovered the suspects cutting cables in the substation tunnels. The criminals initially fled but returned moments later to resume their illegal activities. This led to a high-speed pursuit through the Bree and Fordsburg tunnels, culminating in the arrest of five foreign nationals near the stormwater river on Main Reef Road just before midnight. The suspects were found in possession of stolen cables and cutting tools and have been charged with tampering with essential infrastructure, the utility said.
“These criminals are no longer just stealing copper; they are waging an all-out assault on Johannesburg’s energy security,” says City Power’s General Manager for Public Relations and Communications Isaac Mangena. “We’ve had five armed confrontations this year alone between technicians and gunmen targeting underground cables in the inner city.”
This latest incident follows several others where City Power teams have been targeted. This month, the utility launched a manhunt for 11 suspects linked to violent attacks on its Midrand and Alexandra service delivery centres.
Unregulated access
City Power also raised concerns about lack of proper vetting and background checks of people working within its network under contractors, warning that unregulated access to critical infrastructure poses a security risk. “We are seeing a deeply concerning trend where undocumented individuals – without vetting, background checks or accountability – are gaining access to our network,” says City Power General Manager for Risk Management Sergeant Thela. “This creates a major security risk as these individuals could be passing insider information to criminal syndicates or even directly participating in infrastructure sabotage.
“These are not desperate individuals stealing to survive – this is organised crime at the highest level and it is crippling Johannesburg.”
City Power says it is increasing security at high-risk substations, improving surveillance and deploying more armed response teams. “Without urgent intervention, Johannesburg risks being plunged into darkness – not by power cuts but by crime,” the utility warns.
