JOHANNESBURG – Three electricians working for City Power were held captive for 12 hours by community members demanding illegal electricity connections in Ennerdale, south of Johannesburg.
The contractors were ambushed on Thursday evening, 25 June, whilst repairing a mini-substation on Realgar Street in Ennerdale Extension 13. Around 18:00, a group of residents descended on the site, blocking off the street with vehicles, rocks and burning tyres.
The workers were trapped inside the blockade and held overnight. Their captors demanded that City Power immediately connect electricity to homes without legal meters installed.
The three men were freed on Friday morning, 26 June, after City Power Security Services and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department intervened. Whilst no one was physically injured, the contractors were badly shaken by the ordeal.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the hostage situation capped off a day of escalating unrest in the area. Earlier that Thursday, between 09:00 and 13:10, the same group had blockaded the entrance to the Lenasia Service Delivery Centre, bringing municipal operations to a standstill before police restored order.
The incident marks the third time City Power personnel have been taken hostage in just two weeks. On 21 June, an armed siege took place at the Observatory Substation, linked to copper cable syndicates. Whilst the motives differ – extortion for illegal connections versus copper theft – the utility says a dangerous pattern is emerging.
City Power acting CEO Charles Tlouane said the attacks were unacceptable.
“Whether our employees and contractors are being held hostage whilst restoring electricity to communities or our security officers are being attacked by criminals stealing critical infrastructure, the outcome is the same. Lives are placed at risk, essential services are disrupted, and communities ultimately suffer,” Tlouane said.
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He added that the utility would work closely with law enforcement to ensure those responsible are arrested and prosecuted.
“City Power will not allow its employees to be terrorised or its network to be sabotaged,” he said.
Mangena warned that preventing repair teams from doing their jobs puts lives at risk and delays electricity restoration to the very communities that need help.
City Power has opened criminal cases with the South African Police Service and is urging the public to come forward with information.
Anyone with information can contact City Power Security Risk Control Room on 011 490 7900, 011 490 7911 or 011 490 7553, or via WhatsApp on 083 579 4497. Information can be shared anonymously.
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