Two City Power subcontractors were arrested on charges of corruption this past weekend.
The first one was arrested for tampering with streetlights in Eldorado Park while the second one was arrested in Mayibuye for attempting to solicit a bribe in exchange for facilitating an illegal connection.
The two incidents occurred this past weekend as the entity continues cracking down on internal collaborators in the fight against theft, vandalism and illegal connections.
According to reports, City Power officials received a complaint about a subcontractor who was illegally operating on faulty street lights in Lenasia.
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“Upon arriving at the scene, operators found the streetlights functioning and the subcontractor confessed to tampering with the electricity infrastructure.
“This prompted the operators to try and conduct a meter audit at the suspect’s property. However, they were denied entry and faced threats to their safety.
“The suspect was eventually arrested and charged with tampering with essential infrastructure and has been detained at Eldorado Park Police Station,” said City Parks in a statement.
The second suspect was arrested in Rabie Ridge after being caught illegally connecting a customer who had paid an R800 bribe.
The entity expressed concerns over the rising trend of illegal connections and the involvement of contractors. This comes when City Power has been working to stabilise power supply in these areas which are often affected by overloading and cable theft.
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“In our efforts to combat theft, vandalism, illegal connections and tempering, we have taken a firm stance by going after all the enablers within the entity,” said City Power in a statement.
“These recent arrests of contractors along with fellow employees are testament of the effectiveness of our internal controls that have been put in place coupled with collaboration with communities and law enforcement.”
Late last year, the entity launched an internal investigation to a suspected criminal syndicate targeting its infrastructure.
More security resources have since been deployed to focus on intelligence gathering and immediate response to reported crimes.
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“We strongly warn our employees against engaging in any form of illegal activity and urge customers to refrain from attempting to give our technicians and contractors any form of gratuity or bribe in exchange for illegal connections.
“Should a customer be found to have committed an act of bribery, he/she may be arrested, their power disconnected and stiff fine imposed,” said Isaac Mangena, City Power Spokesperson.
