City Power Seizes R300,000 Worth Of Illegal Cables In Alexandra Crackdown

City Power, in collaboration with Johannesburg Metro Police and Johannesburg City Parks, launched a focused operation on Wednesday along London Road in Alexandra.

The mission: dismantle illegal electricity connections threatening the city’s power infrastructure. The team confiscated approximately 8,000 kilograms of mixed aluminium cables and wires, with an estimated street value of R300,000.

This coordinated raid was part of an ongoing effort to protect Johannesburg’s electricity network from illegal tampering, which places extreme pressure on the grid and leads to frequent power disruptions.

The illegal setups not only compromise the safety and reliability of electricity distribution but also pose a serious hazard to the community.

Repeat Offenders Costing Millions in Damages

This is not the first time City Power has had to intervene in Alexandra. In April, officials removed 20,000 kilograms of illegal aluminium cables valued at around R450,000, highlighting a growing trend of electricity theft in the area.

City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava condemned the continued resistance by residents to buy electricity through legal means. “We will not tire in our efforts to correct this disruptive habit,” Mashava stated.

The utility says this form of electricity theft leads to major revenue losses and significantly undermines the stability of Johannesburg’s power network.

Call for Safer, Legal Access to Electricity

Instead of risking lives and contributing to power instability, City Power is urging residents—especially those from low-income households—to make use of government support.

“Instead of engaging in illegal connections and meter tampering, which could result in serious injury or fatality, we encourage low-income households who are eligible for the expanded social package to register for the free basic electricity in order to get free monthly electricity units,” said Mashava.

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City Power has reaffirmed its commitment to rooting out illegal connections and improving service delivery while encouraging communities to choose safer, legal avenues for accessing electricity.

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