Mayor and City Power engage residents on electricity challenges

City Power executives, officials and board members, together with the Executive Mayor and CRUM Region C officials, met residents and businesses in Honeydew and Ruimsig on Thursday, 2 September 2026, for an electricity imbizo focused on ongoing power challenges and development in the area. Residents raised concerns about electricity supply, infrastructure capacity, load-related challenges, streetlights, as well as the theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure.

City Power acting CEO Charles Tlouane acknowledged the challenges and urged residents and businesses to support the sustainability of the network by paying for electricity and protecting infrastructure.

He said theft and vandalism place a significant financial burden on City Power and divert funds that could be used for maintenance and upgrades. Residents were urged to report suspicious activity and criminals damaging municipal infrastructure.

To combat cable theft, City Power is replacing copper cables with aluminium, which is less valuable and less attractive to criminals. The conversion has already started in surrounding areas, with broader upgrades expected to improve network stability. Work to address capacity constraints is under way, with the project expected to go live in December.

City Power is also using technology to monitor the network and detect outages, enabling faster responses. Residents will be kept informed about the progress of projects and upgrades.

Streetlight failures were another major concern. City Power acknowledged the backlog and said teams would be deployed to affected areas. The utility is also planning solar-powered masts at strategic locations to improve lighting and security.

Residents were asked to remain patient as City Power works to unlock capacity constraints, while long-outstanding applications will be addressed as capacity becomes available.

Executive Mayor Councillor Dada Morero assured residents that work was under way to increase electricity capacity, particularly bulk infrastructure. He commended Honeydew and Ruimsig residents for their strong payment record, while warning that vandalism remains a serious challenge across Johannesburg.

The imbizo ended with a commitment by City Power and the City leadership to work closely with residents and businesses to improve electricity reliability, expand infrastructure and combat theft and vandalism.

Written by Thembelihle Radebe
04/09/2026

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