Copper cable theft, electricity infrastructure vandalism and a security breach involving City Power’s prepaid metering system were among the key issues raised at the utility’s 10th Electricity Imbizo in Randburg on Wednesday.
Acting CEO Charles Tlouane called for a coordinated approach involving law enforcement agencies, government departments, communities and stakeholders in the metal-trading industry to address the growing theft of electricity infrastructure.
He warned that copper cable theft and vandalism continue to undermine the stability of electricity supply in Randburg and across Johannesburg, stressing that City Power cannot tackle the problem alone.
Tlouane also raised concerns about scrapyards allegedly operating outside regulatory requirements, arguing that inadequate regulation and oversight create opportunities for the illegal trade in stolen metals.
He said efforts to combat infrastructure theft must extend beyond those stealing cables to include individuals and businesses buying, trading and benefiting from stolen materials.
Highlighting the extent of electricity losses across Johannesburg, Tlouane said the utility’s non-technical losses stand at approximately 20%.
“City Power’s non-technical losses are at about 20%, and that is way too much. It’s simply because when you look at Johannesburg, you have about 400 informal settlements all contributing towards this problem through electricity theft, illegal connections, unauthorised vending, among others,” he said.
He added that ageing electricity infrastructure also contributes to energy losses and network faults.
**Prepaid meter security breach delays customer conversions**
Meanwhile, residents raised concerns about frequent power outages, the quality of repairs, electricity costs and delays in converting certain customers from postpaid to prepaid meters and vice versa.
The conversion process was suspended last year to allow City Power to clean up its systems and verify customer data.
Chief Commercial Officer Thamsanqa Mathiso told residents that the clean-up process led to an investigation which uncovered serious security vulnerabilities, including the compromise of the prepaid metering system through what he described as “ghost vouchers”.
The findings have reinforced the need for the utility to complete its system clean-up, including stand-by-stand audits, before proceeding with the conversion programme.
“City Power had initially anticipated that the investigation would be concluded by the end of the previous financial year in June 2026. However, the matter has taken longer than expected, prompting the entity to source the services of an external service provider to assist with the investigation,” Mathiso said.
The prepaid-to-postpaid conversion programme forms part of City Power’s revenue protection strategy, targeting identified residential customers whose prepaid meters are not vending electricity.
The utility has raised concerns that some of these meters may have been tampered with or bypassed, resulting in electricity consumption that is not properly recorded or accounted for.
The programme is intended to regularise affected accounts, improve revenue collection and ensure that electricity consumption is accurately billed.
**City Power provides infrastructure maintenance update**
The Imbizo, attended by residents from at least four wards, also provided an opportunity for City Power to outline infrastructure maintenance and network improvement projects underway across its Randburg Service Delivery Centre (SDC).
The interventions include medium-voltage projects, low-voltage cable replacements, load-centre repairs and substation maintenance aimed at strengthening the electricity network and improving supply reliability.
In Bryanston Extension 3, approximately 1,600 metres of feeder cable along Ash, Aloe and Palm streets have been replaced.
In Fontainebleau, an underground cable replacement project covering Annie, 2nd, 3rd and Republic streets had reached 98% completion.
In Ferndale, work includes replacing approximately 600 metres of feeder cable along Vine, Oxford and Bond streets, as well as cable replacement and rewiring around Vale Avenue and Hill/Vale.
City Power reported that its medium-voltage projects across the Randburg SDC had reached 82% overall progress.
Other completed interventions include work in Maria Street in Fontainebleau, Verwoerd Drive, Harley Street, Sentraal and Noreen streets, Main Street, and Rose and Post Office streets in Olivedale.
The utility also provided an update on public lighting projects, reporting progress of 85% in Randpark, 84% in Ferndale, and 85% in Bryanbrink and Daniel Brink.
These interventions are aimed at improving street lighting and addressing community safety concerns.
Residents from Wards 102, 104, 98 and 99 also raised concerns about electricity supply, street lighting, billing, prepaid vending and customer service.
City Power’s leadership and technical teams engaged with residents, provided feedback on ongoing interventions and identified issues requiring further attention.
The Electricity Imbizo forms part of the utility’s efforts to engage directly with communities, address service delivery concerns and provide updates on infrastructure maintenance, revenue protection and electricity supply challenges across Johannesburg.
Suggested alternative headline: City Power uncovers prepaid electricity security breach as copper theft continues to threaten supply in Randburg.
Editorial note: Before publication, verify the reference to “stand-by-stand audits” and whether the utility officially describes the security breach as involving “ghost vouchers”. These are significant technical details worth confirming. Also, the 20% non-technical losses figure should be attributed to Tlouane, as it is his statement.
