City Power suspends restoration in Mayibuye after technicians held hostage

City Power has suspended power restoration efforts in Mayibuye following a disturbing incident in which technicians were held hostage and threatened during a routine maintenance operation.

The unplanned outage affecting the area stems from ongoing network overloading due to widespread illegal electricity connections and tampered meters.

City Power said on Sunday that it cannot risk the safety of its personnel under the current hostile conditions.

Staff safety comes first

“The safety of our personnel is non-negotiable. We will not allow lawlessness and intimidation to dictate when and how we perform our duties,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.

The utility confirmed that restoration efforts will remain on hold until the community commits to ensuring the safety of technicians, allows a full meter audit, and cooperates in restoring tampered meters.

Mangena explained that the decision follows similar safety concerns previously encountered.

“We’ve seen the same patterns of sabotage and violent resistance in other areas, including Riverpark, Alexandra, where our teams were attacked during a lawful operation in May.”

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Rampant tampering cripples supply

City Power revealed that, although 1 711 electricity meters were installed in Mayibuye in December 2023, only about 500 customers are purchasing electricity legally.

“The overwhelming number of bypassed meters has severely compromised the integrity of the local network,” said Mangena.

“This has directly contributed to repeated overloading and outages.”

The utility said continued interference, meter bypassing, and community resistance make it impossible to provide reliable power without full community cooperation.

ALSO READ: City Power explains why it charges some customers more than others

Appeal for cooperation

City Power has urged Mayibuye residents and local leadership to end unlawful behaviour and work with them to restore power safely and sustainably.

“Any attempt to interfere with electricity infrastructure is not only dangerous but also a criminal offence.

“We urge residents to engage constructively with us. Power will remain off until our teams can work without fear,” said Mangena.

Only verified individual customers will be assisted on a case-by-case basis through secure and official channels.

“Restoring power supply under current conditions is highly unsustainable and unsafe,” Mangena concluded.

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