City Power Manager Found Tampering With Electricity Meter, Faces Criminal Charges

In a recent audit conducted by City Power, one of the utility’s senior managers has been accused of tampering with an electricity meter at his own property.

The audit, which is part of City Power’s ongoing efforts to maintain service integrity, involved random house visits and system monitoring.

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This process helps identify accounts with irregular payment histories, an important part of the city’s broader rejuvenation programme currently rolling out across Johannesburg.

Spokesperson Isaac Mangena confirmed that the manager in question would face both criminal charges for tampering with essential infrastructure and internal disciplinary action.

The company is continuing its mission to root out misconduct and any form of criminality within its ranks, ensuring transparency and accountability.

“This is part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and accountability in our organisation,” Mangena emphasized.

“City Power’s audits aim to prevent and address irregular electricity use, with particular attention paid to rental properties, where payment inconsistencies are common.

“In this case, the investigation revealed troubling irregularities in the manager’s property, where electricity payments had been sporadic or completely absent for several months.”

Irregular Payments And Suspicious Activity At Hursthill Property

As part of its routine audit, City Power’s revenue protection unit visited the property in question, located in the Hursthill area of Johannesburg.

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The unit found that the manager owned several rental accommodation units, consisting of approximately eight rooms.

Alarmingly, the electricity payment history for this property was marked by sporadic payments, ranging from as little as R500 to several thousand rands.

Despite this history of irregular payments, the most concerning discovery was made during the audit visit: for the current month, no electricity had been purchased at all, even though lights were on throughout the property.

This was a clear sign of potential electricity theft or meter tampering, a practice that has been increasingly problematic in Johannesburg, particularly among rental property owners.

Mangena noted, “This is common conduct among rental property owners, and we will be ramping up action against this form of electricity theft.”

Disciplinary Actions And Broader Investigation Into City Power’s Practices

This incident is part of a larger investigation into City Power’s internal controls and operational integrity.

Following a report from the Auditor-General last year, which flagged concerns about the utility’s internal control processes, City Power has made substantial efforts to address these vulnerabilities.

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The most recent investigation into its workforce has already resulted in 15 employees being served with disciplinary notices for alleged collusion with service providers to defraud City Power.

The investigation into these employees continues, and the service providers involved in the fraudulent activities are also under scrutiny.

Their payments have been frozen while the ongoing review determines the extent of the fraudulent activity.

Mangena confirmed that one of the employees implicated in the collusion is facing criminal charges.

“We are taking a zero-tolerance stance against corruption, and any instance of meter tampering or bypassing will result in serious consequences.

“The utility is also working to quantify the financial losses incurred due to these actions, which could potentially amount to tens or even hundreds of thousands of rands,” Mangena stated.

Strengthening Governance And Protecting Community Interests

City Power’s efforts to combat internal corruption and unethical practices have been met with increased scrutiny and accountability.

In addition to the criminal charges and internal disciplinary measures faced by the manager in question, the utility is continuing to implement policies that strengthen its internal controls.

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The aim is to protect both the integrity of the services provided and the interests of Johannesburg’s communities.

City Power has urged its customers to ensure that they continue to pay for their electricity consumption and avoid any involvement in electricity theft.

“We will continue to implement measures that strengthen our governance and internal controls to protect the interests of our community and the integrity of our services,” Mangena added.

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