City Power argues that the Hawks violated proper procedures.
City Power has filed an urgent court application against the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation — Hawks, challenging what it describes as the unlawful execution of a search warrant issued on 17 September 2025.
The utility lodged the interdict on Tuesday and gave the Hawks a short timeline to respond, according to City Power.
“The Hawks have until the end of today [30 September 2025] to indicate whether they will be opposing the interdict,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.
The urgent application is scheduled to be heard at the Johannesburg High Court on 7 October 2025.
Interdict seeks to preserve seized material
The utility stated that the legal action aims to challenge how the warrant was executed and to safeguard any items already seized by investigators pending the court’s decision.
Mangena clarified the utility’s position on the investigation itself.
“It’s important to highlight that City Power is not opposed to lawful investigations, and in fact, we have expressed our willingness to fully cooperate with the investigation and have been doing so since November 2024, when the investigations started,” he stated.
However, the utility argues that the Hawks’ conduct has violated proper procedures.
The investigating unit reportedly conducted visits without a warrant on two occasions, including last week and previously in August.
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Investigation timeline and procedural concerns
The matter originated in November 2024 when City Power received a section 205 request for information.
Mangena revealed that subsequently, a different team of investigating officers approached the entity with the same inquiry, this time accompanied by media presence.
City Power views this approach as problematic. The utility sees the media staging as an attempt to humiliate the organisation and its leadership.
According to Mangena, this has raised questions about the investigators’ motives, the duplication of investigative resources, and irregularities in how procedures were followed.
The interdict seeks to stop the warrant’s validity and contest its execution.
“We believe in fairness as a key tenet in administrative justice and maintain that investigations must follow lawful and transparent procedures that respect constitutional rights and the rule of law, something the Hawks failed to demonstrate in this matter,” said Mangena.
Hawks visit linked to transformer contract probe
The legal challenge follows a recent visit by the Hawks to City Power’s headquarters on 25 September 2025. The investigators were reportedly seeking information about a questionable multi-million rand contract.
The probe centres on a 2023 purchase order valued at R67 million for electricity transformers. The transformers were allegedly paid for but never delivered.
After the September visit, City Power confirmed the Hawks had visited its premises as part of an ongoing investigation that began in 2024.
Mangena had previously described the utility’s cooperation with the crime-fighting unit.
“As previously communicated, the Hawks had earlier served City Power with a formal Request for Information (RFI). We continue to cooperate fully with this lawful process and remain committed to providing all the necessary information required,” he said.
He also characterised the visits as routine rather than adversarial.
“It is important to note that these visits are part of the normal course of the investigation and not raids. The Hawks may, from time to time, visit our premises when they require additional information, and we have made it clear that they are welcome at any time,” Mangena said.
