R800 000 to R1.2m, that’s what City Power might be forced to cough up to replace a single vandalised transformer.

The Increasing incidents of transformer vandalism in Lombardy East and parts of Alexandra have prompted the utility to remain vigilant. But the sprawling 20 000km network across Johannesburg is nearly impossible to monitor alone, prompting City Power to call for community assistance to curb the growing threat.

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The impact of transformer vandalism is far-reaching, often plunging residents into darkness. Mangena confirmed that such acts have indeed resulted in widespread power outages.

“In the past two weeks, residents in various parts of Lombardy East have been subjected to repeated outages. After the supply was restored last week Friday, another case occurred over the weekend from Gresswold Substation,” he shared.

“The area has been off due to a burnt main circuit breaker, which was the result of vandalism.”

Another outage, tied to a vandalised transformer on Wordsworth Street, has left residents without electricity.

The utility noted an emerging trend of vandalism targeting Ground Mounted Transformers (GMTs) and other key switching equipment, adding that the nature of the incidents suggests a certain level of sophistication. “Some of these devices can only be accessed or operated by qualified and authorised personnel. This raises suspicions of possible insider involvement,” Mangena shared, noting investigations are underway.

City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava warned that the utility won’t tolerate anyone in their ranks sabotaging their work.

“We urge residents, neighbourhood watch groups, community patrollers, councillors, and private security companies to become our eyes and ears on the ground and to help us root out this criminal conduct and keep the lights on.”

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