More than 1,200 outages have hit Johannesburg since 1 July, with residents reporting extortion schemes as City Power struggles to respond.
Johannesburg’s electricity network has faced severe strain, with over 1,200 outages documented since 1 July. Suburbs including Sandton, Bryanston, Kensington and Malvern have experienced blackouts lasting from several days to more than three weeks.
Councillors have raised alarms over alleged extortion rackets. Residents in Kensington reported a person removing cables and then demanding R3,000 to restore power. Ward 66 councillor Carlos da Rocha said he received reports of officials and contractors seeking cash payments for repairs.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena attributed the outages to ageing infrastructure, cable theft and vandalism. He denied that the utility authorises removal of components from one area to fix another and urged residents not to pay bribes directly to individuals.