Residents in Pretoria North have raised concerns about a rise in suspected illegal electricity disconnections, alleging that individuals posing as municipal officials are targeting them and demanding thousands of rand to restore power.

The Tshwane metro has issued an urgent warning following multiple reports of suspected fraudulent activity, cautioning residents to remain vigilant and avoid making payments outside official municipal channels.

The metro mentioned that the incidents may point to a possible syndicate operating across affected communities.

Several residents have come forward describing similar experiences, where individuals allegedly arrive in branded vehicles, disconnect electricity, remove meters, and demand large sums of money to restore power.

In Wolmer, resident Elijah Petrus said the situation has left her family fearful and uncertain.

“We were approached by people who looked official, with uniforms and a vehicle. They said we had an illegal connection and needed to pay immediately or stay without power. It didn’t feel right, but they were very convincing,” she said.

On West Street, resident Thabang Malema shared a similar concern.

“They told us to go to Rosslyn and pay a huge amount. When we questioned it, they drove away and that’s when we knew something was wrong,” he said.

Ward 2 councillor Quentin Meyer said the matter is being treated with urgency as complaints continue to surface from residents across Pretoria North.

He confirmed that he is aware of the incidents and has already begun engaging with relevant departments within the metro to escalate the issue.

“This is a very serious matter, and I want to address it clearly and firmly. We are receiving multiple complaints, and it is extremely concerning.

“Whether this is isolated or part of a broader organised operation, we are treating it as a priority,” said Meyer.

He stressed that no legitimate metro official would ever demand cash payments on site or conduct disconnections without proper documentation and due process.

Meyer added that the matter has been escalated to senior officials, with a request for an urgent investigation, while law enforcement agencies are being engaged to determine whether a criminal syndicate may be involved.

“We are also increasing awareness to ensure residents can identify suspicious behaviour and report it immediately. We will not allow criminals to exploit our community,” he said.

He urged residents to remain vigilant, refuse any on-site payment demands, verify identification, and report suspicious individuals to authorities without delay, adding that he will continue to monitor the situation.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo emphasised that legitimate electricity disconnections follow strict and transparent procedures.

He explained that enforcement is guided by structured systems, including a low-buy/no-buy analysis that informs the Revenue Protection Team to conduct meter audits and detect electricity theft.

“When tampering or illegal connections are identified, the process is formal and documented. Job cards are issued to technicians together with relevant tamper notices,” said Mashigo.

He added that once a disconnection is carried out, the customer’s municipal account is debited with a tampering fee, which must be settled through recognised city payment channels before reconnection can be requested.

Mashigo stressed that fines are never handled informally.

“Fines, where applicable, are formally billed to a customer’s municipal account and can be settled through recognised city payment channels, not through direct or informal arrangements,” he said.

He also clarified that residents are not required to visit the Hatfield electricity office to make payments.

The metro has distanced itself from reports of suspicious messages offering reduced fines.

“The metro does not send any messages to customers offering reductions of fines. Any such communication should be reported to SAPS or TMPD,” warned Mashigo.

Residents are urged not to engage with individuals requesting cash payments and to verify the identity of officials.

According to the metro, authorised personnel will always carry proper identification, use clearly branded vehicles and uniforms, and will never request direct payments.

Meanwhile, the DA in Tshwane previously called for an urgent investigation into what it describes as a possible organised extortion scheme.

DA finance spokesperson, councillor Jacqui Uys, said the party has written to the City Manager after multiple residents reported similar incidents.

“Individuals have been witnessed disconnecting electricity and removing meters without providing documentation or evidence,” added Uys.

Uys added that in some cases, residents who question the charges are later contacted via WhatsApp and offered a reduced ‘settlement’ fee of around R3 000 to make the issue disappear.

She advised affected residents to formally dispute any charges with the metro while investigations continue.

Authorities have urged residents across the metro to report suspicious activity immediately to the TMPD, SAPS or the municipal fraud hotline, as concerns grow over the safety and financial exploitation of communities.

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