The suspect was found in possession of a Johannesburg Water employee identification card and a City Power contractor access card.
Picture: iStock
City Power has expressed shock after a man who claimed to be a Johannesburg Water employee was arrested for allegedly extorting residents by threatening to cut off essential services.
The suspect was handcuffed at a residential building on Mitchell Street in Hillbrow on Monday during a coordinated sting operation led by the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) with assistance from a community informer.
Investigations
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said preliminary investigations showed that the man demanded R5 000 and accepted R1 500 before officers moved in.
“During further preliminary checks, the suspect was found in possession of both a Johannesburg Water employee identification card and a City Power contractor access card, raising serious concerns about the possible abuse of municipal credentials and cross-entity access for fraudulent purposes.”
Alarmed
City Power Acting CEO Charles Tlouane said they are alarmed that an employee of a “sister municipal entity” is now directly implicated in criminal conduct linked to extortion and the abuse of municipal authority.
“This raises serious concerns about infiltration of criminal behaviour within the broader service delivery environment and the misuse of official association to exploit vulnerable residents. It begs the question of: how many are they from our sister entities? It’s a disgrace.
“This arrest is not an isolated incident but forms part of a growing and disturbing trend where individuals, including those linked to municipal contractors and service delivery structures, are being arrested almost daily for offences including theft, vandalism, illegal connections and tampering with essential electricity infrastructure,” Tlouane said.
Daily arrests
City Power confirmed that on average, about five suspects are arrested daily across Johannesburg in connection with infrastructure-related crimes, underscoring the scale of organised criminal activity targeting the city’s electricity network.
The regional utility said it is intensifying collaboration with law enforcement agencies to root out corruption, extortion and criminal activity within and around municipal service delivery systems, and to ensure that all offenders are arrested and “prosecuted without fear or favour.”
Joburg Water has since claimed that the person arrested is not employed by the water entity.
“Following an internal investigation, Johannesburg Water can confirm that the individual arrested is not an employee of Johannesburg Water. Preliminary findings indicate that the suspect was in possession of an access card issued by a meter reading contractor that last provided services to Johannesburg Water approximately three years ago,” it said.
Joburg Water condemned the fraud and warned residents to be wary of individuals who falsely claim to represent the organisation.
“Residents are reminded that Johannesburg Water employees and authorised contractors are not permitted to solicit or accept cash payments for services. Any person requesting payment in exchange for municipal services should be reported immediately to the South African Police Service, Johannesburg Water, or the City of Johannesburg.”
Additional reporting by Chulumanco Mahamba
