City Power and JMPD disconnected illegally connected buildings, noting that tenants who pay landlords for electricity may still lose power.
Picture: Supplied
City Power and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) targeted 11 buildings in Johannesburg’s Inner City on Monday over electricity debts of more than R15 million.
According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, the operation was part of a programme covering about 108 buildings deemed unsafe and possibly hijacked.
Hijacked Main Street building owed R5.7 million
The largest debt, about R5.7 million, was owed by a hijacked, run-down building on Main Street.
According to City Power, it had no authorised meter and was illegally connected to the network.
Teams found people living in cramped rooms, with cables running through broken windows. City Power carried out a Level 3 disconnection.
“What we found is extremely concerning,” acting CEO Charles Tlouane said. He said the joint approach was deliberate. “This is precisely why we are conducting these operations together with JMPD,” he said.
Mangena said a property in Yeoville owing about R4.4 million remained without power after its March disconnection.
In Berea, a building owing about R410 000 showed apparent fire damage and exposed cables.
Three properties, including one owing more than R42 000, were disconnected for drawing electricity from streetlights.
Illegal reconnections led to tougher action
Teams returned to a Wolmarans Street property disconnected at Level 2 the previous month and found it had been illegally reconnected.
They escalated the action to Level 3.
“We cannot disconnect a property today and find it illegally connected again tomorrow,” Tlouane warned.
He explained what the tougher step involved. “A Level 3 disconnection is not simply switching off the supply. It involves removing infrastructure to make it more difficult for people to reconnect illegally and to protect the network from further tampering.”
Tenants urged to check their electricity payments
According to City Power, tenants who paid their landlords for electricity could still lose power when enforcement took place.
“We want to be very clear: tenants paying their landlord does not automatically mean that the City Power account has been paid,” Tlouane said.
The utility said qualifying owners could sign an acknowledgement of debt and repay through a structured plan.
“Our message to owners is that you do not have to wait for an enforcement team to arrive at your property. If you know that you owe City Power, come forward and engage with us,” Tlouane said.
City Power urged residents to report illegal connections on 0800 202 925.
