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Utility's regular audits involve random house visits and monitoring irregular electricity purchases.
Picture: iStock
In its latest audit, City Power found that one of its managers had allegedly tampered with an electricity meter at his property.
City Power conducts regular audits, which involve random house visits and system monitoring, which flags accounts with irregular payments.
This forms part of the mayor’s rejuvenation programme, which started in the inner city and is spreading across Johannesburg.
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According to spokesperson Isaac Mangena, a criminal charge will be laid against the senior manager for tampering with essential infrastructure.
The employee will also face internal disciplinary action as the power utility continues to root out misconduct and any form of criminality within its ranks.
“This is part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and accountability in our organisation,” Mangena said.
According to Mangena, the power utility audited its systems, checking for accounts with irregular payments.
On this specific account, there were reportedly irregular electricity purchases dating back to 2014. In some instances, electricity was not purchased for months at a time.
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The revenue protection unit visited the employee following its routine daily audit.
The manager in question was found to own rental accommodation units containing about eight rooms in the Hursthill area.
“Payments recorded were sporadic, ranging from R500 to a few thousand rand. Alarmingly, this month, no electricity was purchased at all despite the property having lights during our team’s visit,” said Mangena.
“This is common conduct among rental property owners. We will be ramping up action against this form of electricity theft.”
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In addition to a criminal case and internal disciplinary hearing, the manager will have to pay a hefty reconnection fee.
City Power’s investigation into its internal matters has resulted in 15 employees being served with notices of disciplinary action. The employees are accused of colluding with service providers to defraud City Power.
This conduct contributed to significant financial losses.
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City Power’s investigation follows last year’s report from the Auditor-General flagging its internal control processes.
Its investigation concluded earlier this month revealed collusion between employees and service providers.
“The service providers implicated are also facing an investigation. Their payments are currently frozen pending the finalisation of the ongoing review. One of the employees linked with fraudulent conduct is currently facing criminal charges,” said Mangena.
“As part of our commitment to improving governance and tightening internal control, as recommended by the AG and our internal probe, we are ramping up action against ethical breaches and any form of criminality, starting in our own backyard.
“We wish to issue a stern warning to all City of Johannesburg employees that any instance of meter tampering or bypassing will result in serious consequences. We are currently quantifying the total losses incurred, which could amount to tens or even hundreds of thousands of rands.”
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City Power further called on customers to continue paying for their electricity consumption and avoid stealing electricity.
“We will continue to implement measures that strengthen our governance and internal controls to protect the interests of our community and the integrity of our services.”
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