City Power says over 170 suspects have been arrested since January 2025 as part of a crackdown on cable theft and infrastructure sabotage in Johannesburg.
The utility says criminals are becoming more dangerous, with some incidents involving gunfire.
City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena says the utility will continue to strengthen its security and go after the syndicates behind the attacks.
This coordinated pressure has resulted in a 28 drop in infrastructure sabotage incidents from 1 471 in the previous financial year to about 1 058 in the current reporting period. Encouragingly, conviction rates are also climbing so far in the 2024/2025 financial year. Atleast 33 individuals have been successfully prosecuted up from 19 from the previous year and sentences have included times of up to 12 years imprisonment for the convicted criminals who were found tampering with essential infrastructure.
City Power frustrated by repeat offender's rearrest for infrastructure vandalism