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.
