About 10,000 kilograms of illegally connected aluminium cables, valued at an estimated R500,000, were removed by a joint policing operation, at the Crown informal settlement on Wednesday, 16 July 2025.
City Power’s Isaac Mangena, said the local power utility loses R2 billion annually in non-technical losses, including illegal connections and meter bypasses.
He also said industrial areas located close to these areas have to bear the brunt, of illegal connections, which often result in frequent power outages.
The multi-disciplinary operation, was led by City Power’s Revenue Protection Services, Security Risk, supported by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD).
Also onsite, was Jack Skwaila, the Acting Mayor of Joburg, who said Wednesday’s campaign is to recover R1 billion in unpaid municipal bills over the next six months.
City Power is owed R3 billion by businesses in the Inner City Precinct. Others are in Marshalltown, Fordsburg, and Doornfontein.
Picture: Supplied