Five armed suspects hijacked a City Power contractor’s vehicle in Alexandra yesterday and fled with their vehicle and valuable equipment.

Alex News reports that, according to the power utility, the incident took place around midday near the intersection of 11th and 12th Avenue and Richard Baloyi Street.

The contractors were working on site, welding and securing mini substations, when the suspects, travelling in a white Toyota Avanza without registration plates, confronted them.

Armed hijacking

According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, the armed men pointed firearms at the driver, seized the vehicle keys, and drove off with the contractor’s white Nissan NP200 bakkie. The bakkie contained tools, equipment, and the workers’ personal belongings, a generator, paint, and welding rods.

Mangena said the utility condemns the attack. “Such incidents not only place the lives of workers at risk but also undermine efforts to protect essential infrastructure and ensure a reliable electricity supply to communities.”

The matter, according to Mangena, has been reported to the police and City Power is co-operating with law enforcement in the ongoing investigation.

Infrastructure crime concerns

Mangena highlighted that criminal activities such as theft and vandalism continue to pose major challenges for the utility.

Alexandra has been identified as a priority area for interventions due to the increasing number of infrastructure-related crimes, and as part of its broader efforts, City Power has implemented a programme to secure mini substations and other critical infrastructure across its eight Service Delivery Centre areas.

“This programme began in Roodepoort the previous year and is now being rolled out across all eight Service Delivery Centre areas, particularly in identified hotspots. Alexandra is among the areas where this intervention has been prioritised due to a rise in vandalism and infrastructure-related crimes.”

Similar protective work has already been carried out in hotspots such as Lyndhurst, Lombardy East, Gresswold, Hofmeyer, and Kew.

Call for community support

Mangena called on residents to help protect the essential power utility’s infrastructure.

“We call on members of the community to stand up against criminal activities and to promptly report any incidents of intimidation, threats, attacks, or suspicious activity around City Power infrastructure. Such co-operation is vital in improving response times and ensuring the safety of both employees and residents.”

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