City Power seizes R200,000 electricity infrastructure in Alexandra operation

City Power has seized about 180,000kg of mixed aluminium cables and three electricity poles, worth an estimated R200,000, during a joint operation targeting illegal electricity connections in Alexandra.

The operation, conducted on Wednesday along London Road, including the Greenville informal settlement, was carried out with the South African Police Service and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department.

City Power said the crackdown followed commitments made during the recent Alexandra Electricity Imbizo to intensify efforts to address illegal connections and improve electricity infrastructure in the area.

During the operation, officials found makeshift electricity connections, including bare aluminium cables hanging between poles, rooftops and informal structures.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the illegal connections posed a serious risk to residents and infrastructure.

“Illegal electricity connections are not only unlawful, but they also put lives at risk and undermine the work being done to improve electricity supply in Alexandra,” Mangena said.

“Bare cables and makeshift connections can result in electrocution, fires, overloaded transformers, damaged infrastructure and unplanned power outages. We cannot allow these dangerous conditions to become normalised.”

The illegal connections were found near Zenzele Primary School, raising concerns about the safety of learners, teachers and other members of the school community.

City Power said the Greenville informal settlement was particularly challenging because it is situated under and near high-voltage electricity lines. This creates safety and planning constraints that make it difficult to formally develop the area and establish a conventional electricity network.

The utility has been implementing a normalisation programme in formalised houses along London Road.

Teams have spent the past two weeks conducting meter audits and installing mini-substations as part of efforts to improve electricity supply and create a safer and more controlled network.

Mangena said enforcement was necessary to protect the investment being made in the area.

“We cannot invest in normalising an area while illegal connections continue to undermine that investment. The meter audits and mini-substations are intended to improve the electricity network and create a safer environment, and enforcement is an important part of protecting that work,” he said.

The operation was welcomed by some residents in the formalised houses, who said illegal connections had disrupted their lives.

City Power said the Alexandra operation forms part of a broader enforcement programme targeting illegal connections, infrastructure theft and vandalism across Johannesburg.

Residents can report illegal connections, cable theft, vandalism and other suspicious activity involving electricity infrastructure to City Power’s Security Risk Management Control Room on 011 490 7900, 011 490 7911 or 011 490 7553, or via WhatsApp on 083 579 4497