Johannesburg's City Power has revealed that several illegal electricity connections in the city have been facilitated by its own employees and contractors. The revelation comes following an internal investigation by the utility.
In response, City Power confirmed that five workers were dismissed on Wednesday for their involvement in illicit activities, including facilitating illegal connections. Additional staff members are currently facing internal disciplinary hearings, and criminal cases have been opened against some individuals.
The findings come as City Power teams up with Johannesburg Water in a joint operation targeting illegal electricity and water connections in the city's inner areas.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility lost approximately R4 billion in the last financial year due to illegal connections.
“We purchase electricity from Eskom, but a quarter of that supply is lost before it reaches our customers. This is primarily due to illegal connections in rapidly growing informal settlements across Johannesburg, as well as ongoing infrastructure vandalism,” Mangena explained.
The utility has vowed to intensify efforts to root out corruption within its ranks and clamp down on illicit connections contributing to significant revenue losses.