City Power has revealed that illegal electricity connections across Johannesburg have cost the utility approximately R2.5 billion in lost revenue over the past year. The disclosure came during an operation to remove unauthorized connections in Tshepisong, west of Johannesburg, where residents have been protesting following a week-long power outage.
Community Left in the Dark
On Thursday, residents watched helplessly as City Power officials cut illegally connected cables, plunging large parts of the community into darkness. With cold weather predicted for the weekend, the disconnections are expected to severely impact households, particularly students and those with health issues.
“This is affecting us badly because now we don’t have electricity at all,” said one resident. “Some residents are not paying—you can see the illegal connections here. We’ve been pleading with City Power to install more transformers so we can pay for electricity legally.”
Students are among the hardest hit, with many forced to rely on dangerous alternatives like candles for lighting.
Volatile Situation as Residents Threaten Protests
Community leaders warned that frustration is reaching a boiling point. One leader expressed helplessness in preventing further unrest, recalling past violent clashes.
“If the community says they’ve had enough, I cannot stop them,” the leader said. “I’ve told them, ‘Don’t go to the streets—you’ll be killed or arrested like in Marikana.’ But they are fed up.”
Police were forced to use rubber bullets on Thursday after some residents threw stones at officers.
City Power’s Financial Strain
City Power officials say they are caught in a “bottomless pit” of infrastructure repairs due to illegal connections. Since January, the utility has replaced 20 transformers in Tshepisong alone—each costing R400,000—with no revenue recovery from the community.
“Due to illegal connections across Johannesburg, we lost R2.5 billion in the past year,” a City Power representative said. “This includes energy losses flagged by the Auditor-General. We must plug these gaps to prevent further losses.”
Ongoing Crisis
With no immediate resolution in sight, tensions remain high as residents demand reliable electricity while City Power struggles to curb revenue losses. The situation highlights the broader challenge of illegal connections crippling South Africa’s energy infrastructure.
