City Power officials led an operation to disconnect hijacked buildings in Joburg CBD on Wednesday.
- A seven-year-old boy returning from school was shocked when he was greeted by police carrying R5 rifles standing outside his home in Betty Street in the Johannesburg CBD.
- On Wednesday, Environment and Infrastructure Service MMC Jack Sekwaila led City Power‘s revenue protection unit to disconnect electricity at three hijacked buildings in Jeppestown.
- According to City Power, the three buildings owed a cumulative R10.9 million.
A seven-year-old boy returning from school was shocked when he was greeted by police carrying R5 rifles standing outside his home in Betty Street, the Johannesburg CBD.
On Wednesday, Environment and Infrastructure Service MMC Jack Sekwaila led City Power’s revenue protection unit to disconnect electricity at three hijacked buildings in Jeppestown.
He was accompanied by Public Safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku.
According to City Power, the three hijacked buildings owed a cumulative R10.9 million.
Last week, City officials had to abandon the operation because of a volatile reception.
READ | ‘We will be back’: City Power vows to return to disconnect hijacked buildings after officials met with anger
However, on Wednesday, its employees came prepared under the watchful eye of law enforcement contingents.
Betty Street in the Johannesburg CBD was clogged with police and metro police who were armed with R5 and R3 rifles as well as private security guards armed with AK-47s.
Several pupils still dressed in their school uniforms stood outside and watched City Power’s electricians disconnect electricity in their building.
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The MMCs for EISD and Public Safety have joined the @CityPowerJhb cut off operation in the inner city.
The buildings in that are being cut off today owe the city about R14 million. pic.twitter.com/L81UN4nIXy— COJ People’s MMC Public Safety (@PublicSafetyMMC) September 20, 2023
A resident said it was sad because they paid rent and electricity to their landlords monthly.
“We pay between R2 500 and R3 500 depending on the number of rooms one rents.
“The landlords pocket this money for their own benefit without thinking about tenants. Look at the children who have just returned from school – there is no electricity to warm up their food,” she said.
City Power said the three hijacked buildings owed a cumulative R10.9 million.
Sekwaila said the target was to cut electricity to all eight hijacked buildings that owed the City a cumulative R14 million.
He added:
The City is owed R10 billion, and we are supposed to collect R4.7 billion monthly; however, we can only collect R3.7 billion. Today, we managed to disconnect electricity from three buildings, and we are still going to come for the five other buildings.
Sekwaila said some other buildings had reconnected their electricity after they were cut off last week.
“We will no longer do level one, which is to trip the switch on the basement.
“We will now go for level three, which means we will remove all the cables from the outside.
“Once we have done that, one needs to come to our revenue office and pay a reconnection fee of R65 000,” he added.
“We know our people are paying rent, but landlords have hijacked these buildings and have decided not to pay for electricity.”
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Meanwhile, Tshwaku said they knew there were lawyers who illegally owned the buildings.
“They have managed to change the title deed of these buildings, but we are on their heels.
“It won’t be long before we bring them to book. People should know that no one will stop City Power from collecting what is owed to them,” he added.
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