More City Power technicians attacked and robbed in Tshepisong

City Power warns that it will not hesitate to pull out technicians from areas where their safety is at risk.

It follows the latest attack on Monday where City Power employees were robbed at gun point on route to attend to fault in Tshepisong.

The team of four technicians was dispatched to replace a faulty pole transformer in Block 5A (Ebumnandini) when three men ambushed and robbed them of their cellphones and wallets.

The latest incident comes two weeks after the incident of hijacking and robbery experienced by technicians in Lenasia South.

In that case, three employees who were testing faulty cables in the area were also attacked at gun point and made away with the utility’s vehicle.

City Power Spokesperson, Isaac Magena said the utility is concerned about the persistent pattern of attacks on its employees while on duty.

“Tshepisong is one of our focus areas where the entity has been struggling with frequent power outages mainly due to rampant vandalism.

“We have consistently called on communities in the area and in the broader area of our operations to work together with us to turn the tide of rampant criminal activity on our infrastructure.”

Magena added that while the company has a comprehensive plan against criminal activities, persistent attacks posed threats to effectively render services to Joburg communities.

“Our employees are increasingly bearing the brant of this criminal trend. As the entity we have made counselling services available to the employees affected as well as other measures that they may require.

“However, the attacks are dangerous and unsustainable and are likely to make the utility review its operation particularly in hot-spot areas.”

According to Magena, the violent incident has lengthened the duration of the outage in the affected area. He further said that an assessment would determine whether it’s safe for workers to return and carry out repairs.

“We would like to appeal to communities to rally around our employees as they try to ensure that City Power continues to render electricity services to the same communities and attend to calls.

“While we have an option to request escorts from JMPD to enable us to render services to the communities, it is increasingly becoming unsustainable,” he said.