Johannesburg – Two City Power contractors were arrested in separate incidents for tampering with streetlights and bribery.
City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, said a subcontractor was arrested for tampering with streetlights in Eldorado Park on Friday.
He said City Power officials responded to a call from an employee who had been threatened by a subcontractor in Eldorado Park for illegally operating on faulty streetlights in the Lenasia area.
“Upon arriving at the scene, operators found the streetlights functioning and the subcontractor confessed to tampering with the electricity infrastructure,” Mangena said.
“This prompted the operators to try and conduct a meter audit at the suspect’s property.
“However, they were denied entry and faced threats to their safety.”
Mangena said the subcontractor was eventually arrested and charged with tampering with essential infrastructure.
In a separate incident on Saturday, Mangena said a contractor was caught illegally connecting a customer in Rabie Ridge, after soliciting a bribe worth R800.
“It is worrying that this comes as a trend of illegal connections in Mayibuye is beginning to rear its ugly head yet again, not long after completing the installation of meters in the area,” Mangena said.
“City Power has strongly condemned the actions of these unscrupulous contractors. In our efforts to combat theft, vandalism, illegal connections, and tempering, we have taken a firm stance by going after all the enablers within the entity.”
Mangena said these recent arrests of contractors along with fellow employees were a testament to the effectiveness of the internal controls that have been put in place coupled with collaboration with communities and law enforcement.
“In December last year, City Power launched an internal probe to expose any internal linkages to what seemed like an organised criminal syndicate targeting City Power infrastructure,” he said.
“As part of that plan, we have also deployed more security resources with special focus on intelligence and the use of technology to detect wrongdoing and respond timeously.”
City Power warned its employees against engaging in any form of illegal activity and urged customers to refrain from attempting to give technicians and contractors any form of gratuity or bribe in exchange for illegal connections.
“Should a customer be found to have committed an act of bribery,
he/she may be arrested, their power disconnected and a stiff fine imposed,” cautioned Mangena.
