VANDERBIJLPARK – Five Emfuleni Local Municipality employees have been arrested for allegedly running an illegal electricity reconnection scheme that involved residents paying cash directly into their personal bank accounts.

The arrests were carried out on Friday by the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team (PKTT). The suspects, who work in the municipality’s revenue and electrical departments, face charges including fraud, theft, and tampering with essential infrastructure.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe explained that preliminary investigations showed the suspects allegedly pretended to be authorised municipal officials who could restore disconnected electricity supplies.

“Clients were allegedly instructed to pay various amounts of money directly into the suspects’ bank accounts in exchange for the illegal reconnection of electricity,” Mathe said.

The employees are further accused of reconnecting power supplies without proper municipal authorisation. This led to illegal electricity consumption and reportedly created substantial financial losses for Emfuleni.

Mathe warned that the police would continue targeting officials who abuse their positions for personal gain, adding that the task team will keep working with relevant stakeholders to hold corrupt workers accountable.

All five suspects are scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. Police confirmed that the investigation remains ongoing and more arrests could follow.

These latest arrests come shortly after a former Emfuleni municipal fleet manager was detained in July over an alleged R16m tender fraud. The former fleet boss subsequently appeared in court, where bail was set at R25 000.

Both cases add to growing scrutiny of Emfuleni’s internal controls and the conduct of officials accused of exploiting municipal positions for personal gain.