According to the MMC, electricity is only restored once investigations confirm the cause of outages and the extent of tampering.
The City of Joburg has dismissed the DA claims that its electricity disconnection strategy amounts to “collective punishment”, insisting the measures comply with both the constitution and city bylaws.
Environment and infrastructure services MMC Jack Sekwaila said on Tuesday that the DA’s 17 August statement was “misleading, inaccurate, and unfortunate”, and failed to recognise the scale of electricity theft and the financial damage it causes City Power.
Not a blanket disconnection
Sekwaila stressed that City Power does not indiscriminately cut supply, but targets areas where illegal connections and tampering are rife.
“This is not a blanket disconnection, as suggested. The disconnections that have occurred are a direct result of areas where theft and illegal connections are rife,” he said.
According to the MMC, electricity is only restored once investigations confirm the cause of outages, the extent of tampering, and once networks are normalised.
“It would not only be unlawful and unsafe for the entity to reinstate supply under such abnormal conditions, but it would also be highly reckless,” Sekwaila said.
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By-laws and the law
Citing Johannesburg’s electricity supply by-laws, Sekwaila said City Power is empowered to act decisively.
“Section 26 of the by-laws states: ‘No person shall in any manner tamper or interfere with any meter or metering equipment, service connection, supply mains or any other equipment of the municipality’,” he said.
Where evidence of tampering exists, the municipality may disconnect immediately without notice. Section 15 further empowers City Power to act if installations are used “in an improper or unsafe manner”.
Sekwaila argued that restoring power in environments plagued by illegal connections not only endangers employees and residents but also damages infrastructure, costing City Power “hundreds of millions of rands annually”, as flagged by the auditor-general.
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Constitution and limits of rights
The DA has cited Section 27 of the constitution, which guarantees the right to access services. Sekwaila countered that rights are not absolute.
“Section 36 of the constitution provides for the limitation of rights where such limitations are reasonable, justifiable and necessary to protect broader public interests,” he said.
“For the DA to suggest that our policy amounts to ‘collective punishment’ is disingenuous and dangerously close to endorsing or condoning the breaking of the law.”
Protecting paying customers
The MMC said the measures were not aimed at punishing paying residents, but at protecting them from repeated outages caused by overloading, theft and vandalism.
“Transformers and mini-substations worth millions of rands are being repeatedly destroyed because of illegal connections,” Sekwaila said.
He pointed to Tshepisong, where 20 transformers costing over R400 000 had to be replaced within three months.
“Without these tough measures, the situation will remain unsustainable and unfair to those who comply with the law,” he said.
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DA accused of opportunism
Sekwaila accused the DA of shifting positions for political gain.
“It is surprising and opportunistic for the DA to call out City Power now when it takes decisive measures to address this very problem,” he said.
“The party appears to oppose those efforts without offering any constructive alternatives – something they have been doing so well in recent weeks.”
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Support for indigent households
Sekwaila acknowledged that many households cannot afford to pay for electricity, but said the city has programmes in place to protect the most vulnerable.
“We have extended our Free Basic Electricity registration programme to accommodate as many customers as possible. The programme provides qualifying households with up to 120kWh of free electricity monthly,” he said.
City Power is grappling with more than R10 billion in unpaid bills and a R40 billion infrastructure backlog. Sekwaila warned that without decisive action, the utility risks collapse.
“Our measures are lawful, necessary and consistent with both the constitution and municipal bylaws. They are also essential to restoring order, protecting lives and ensuring that paying customers do not continue to bear the costs of illegal and unsafe practices,” he said.
The MMC added that City Power would continue engaging with communities, councillors and stakeholders but would “not compromise on safety, legality, or sustainability”.
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