Admin
03 Jul, 2026
Jo’burg’s electricity crisis demands accountability and safety
Statement by Cllr Yongama Zigebe, UDM National Chairperson, UDM Councillor in the City of Johannesburg and Chairperson of the Section 79 Committee on Gender, Youth and People with Disabilities The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in the City of Johannesburg notes with grave concern the deepening electricity crisis across Johannesburg, marked by prolonged outages, ageing infrastructure, cable theft, vandalism, illegal connections, overloaded networks, poor communication, billing failures and growing threats against City Power personnel. Recent reports that City Power employees, security officers and contractors have been attacked, robbed, held hostage and prevented from carrying out repair work are deeply disturbing. The electricity crisis in Johannesburg is no longer only a technical problem. It has become a service delivery, safety and governance crisis. The UDM in the City Johannesburg understands the anger of residents who are left without electricity for days. Families are left in the dark, food spoils, small businesses lose income, learners cannot study properly, and elderly and vulnerable residents are placed at risk. Electricity is not a luxury. It is a basic service that affects dignity, safety, livelihoods, education, health and local economic activity. However, no frustration can justify violence against workers who are sent to repair the very infrastructure communities depend on. Attacking electricians, security officers and contractors only delays restoration, endangers lives and deepens the suffering of residents. Johannesburg’s electricity crisis must be viewed from all perspectives. Residents are entitled to reliable electricity, fair billing, honest communication and reasonable repair timelines. City Power workers are entitled to safety, visible law enforcement support and proper protection when entering high-risk areas. The City of Johannesburg must accept responsibility for years of underinvestment, poor maintenance, unstable governance, weak consequence management, revenue leakage and failure to protect critical infrastructure. Communities also have responsibilities. Illegal connections, meter tampering, non-payment by those who can afford to pay, vandalism and cable theft damage the system, overload transformers and mini-substations, and punish paying residents. Law enforcement must treat attacks on electricity workers and infrastructure as serious crimes. The South African Police Service, Johannesburg Metro Police Department, City Power security and community policing structures must work together to protect workers, secure critical infrastructure and act against criminal syndicates. At the same time, the financial crisis between City Power, the City and Eskom cannot be ignored. Residents cannot be expected to carry the burden of poor financial management, weak revenue collection, unresolved billing disputes, non-payment and political instability. The City must get its house in order. This is why the UDM’s 2026 Local Government Elections Manifesto focuses on municipalities that do the basics properly. Local government must work again by delivering reliable services, protecting infrastructure, managing public money responsibly, appointing competent people, enforcing by-laws fairly, involving communities, supporting local economies and ensuring accountability. The UDM in the City of Johannesburg calls on the City to urgently implement an electricity recovery plan, including a ward-by-ward audit of outage hotspots, funded maintenance, safety protocols for City Power teams, honest outage communication, strong action against cable theft and illegal connections, fair revenue collection that protects indigent households, and consequence management for those who have failed residents. Johannesburg is South Africa’s economic engine. When electricity fails, businesses lose income, workers lose wages, learners lose study time, communities become unsafe and residents lose confidence in local government. The answer cannot be violence, excuses or endless blame-shifting between City Power, the City, Eskom, residents and law enforcement. The answer must be accountable local government that is consistent in action, present in communities and accountable to the people. UDM. Consistent. Present. Accountable. Local government that works.
Admin
12 Mar, 2025
Mismanagement of City Power: R4.9 billion in irregular expenditure
Statement by Andile Jabavu, Gauteng Provincial Secretary of the United Democratic Movement The United Democratic Movement (UDM) in Gauteng is deeply concerned about the Auditor-General’s (AG) shocking findings on the City of Johannesburg's City Power, revealing a staggering loss of R2.8 billion in the 12 months ending 30 June 2024. Even more alarming, the entity incurred irregular expenditure exceeding R4.9 billion, raising serious questions about financial mismanagement, corruption and governance failures. City Power, a vital municipal entity responsible for electricity supply in Johannesburg, is teetering on the brink of collapse. The AG has warned of “material uncertainty” regarding its ability to continue operating, with its liabilities exceeding assets by R1.1 billion. These revelations come as residents endure frequent and prolonged power outages, exacerbating Johannesburg’s ongoing electricity crisis. Of particular concern is the R12 million advance payment allegedly made to a politically connected businessman, for a public lighting project, months before any work was done. Reports shows that internal City Power officials raised red flags, warning that this payment violated Treasury regulations under the Municipal Finance Management Act and the Public Finance Management Act. However, these concerns were allegedly overridden by a senior official who instructed subordinates to process the payment despite clear irregularities. Even more alarming, the businessman in question is allegedly linked to a known African National Congress benefactor, raising serious concerns about political interference. Transparency and accountability are non-negotiable, yet City Power’s response to these grave allegations have been vague, with promises of investigations that have so far produced no tangible results. Meanwhile, Johannesburg residents continue to endure worsening infrastructure and daily power failures. The UDM in Gauteng will not stand by while public funds are mismanaged at the expense of service delivery. We call on the City of Johannesburg and law enforcement authorities to act decisively in rooting out corruption and ensuring that those responsible for City Power’s financial collapse are held to account.
