Dada Morero said the city had secured around R700 million in extra capital funding to strengthen electricity infrastructure.
Image for illustrative purposes. Picture: iStock
City Power has pledged to crack down on criminals stealing cables in Honeydew, even as it praised residents for keeping up with their electricity payments.
Paying customers frustrated by outages
Acting CEO Charles Tlouane addressed residents at an Electricity Imbizo held at Ruimsig Stadium on Thursday.
He acknowledged the frustration caused by recurring power cuts in Honeydew, Amarosa, Ruimsig and Weltevredenpark.
Tlouane said City Power would not allow honest customers to keep suffering while repairs were carried out.
“We can’t allow paying customers to suffer even while the local network is being repaired and strengthened,” Tlouane said.
According to City Power, about 94% of the area’s 7 954 customers across Wards 83, 85 and 97 were purchasing electricity lawfully, a record Tlouane said the utility valued highly.
“The majority of residents in this area are paying for the electricity they use, and that is something City Power applauds,” he said.
Theft and vandalism driving outages
Tlouane said theft and vandalism accounted for a significant share of the area’s power failures, with thieves targeting copper components and leaving households without supply.
“20% of our outages here are as a result of theft and vandalism,” he said.
He called on communities to help safeguard infrastructure while City Power dealt with offenders.
Isaac Mangena, City Power’s general manager for public relations and communication, confirmed in the statement issued on behalf of the utility that replacing copper cables with aluminium formed part of efforts to deter criminals in the greater Roodepoort area.
Mayor points to R700m boost
Johannesburg executive mayor Dada Morero said the city had secured around R700 million in extra capital funding to strengthen electricity infrastructure, adding to an existing R1.7 billion budget.
“We are at the point of spending, and we are now ready to address the capacity issue that the residents have raised,” Morero said.
He said ageing infrastructure and outdated substation technology in Roodepoort needed urgent attention, alongside streetlight and traffic light repairs.
City Power said the Lutz Substation project, now 85% complete, was expected to switch on in early 2027 and boost bulk capacity across the region.
