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“It’s War Underground”: City Power Demands Police Escorts as Gunmen Terrorise Technicians

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City Power has declared a “war underground” as technicians face growing threats from armed cable thieves in Johannesburg’s Central Business District (CBD). Following violent incidents, including a deadly shootout last weekend, City Power announced it will no longer send repair teams underground without police escorts.

Violence Underground: A Growing Crisis
According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, there have been at least five armed confrontations this year between technicians and gunmen targeting underground cables. The most recent incident occurred on Saturday, when a repair team restoring power to parts of the CBD was ambushed, resulting in a shootout that left two cable thieves dead and a City Power employee hospitalized.

“This is a well-coordinated and heavily armed onslaught,” said Mangena. “The situation underground has become too dangerous to ignore.”

Impact on Businesses and Residents
The ongoing power outages have left businesses and residents struggling to cope. Businesses like McDonald’s in the CBD have spent thousands on diesel to keep operations running. “We’ve spent R24,000 in five days just to run the business,” said the franchise manager.

Residents are also feeling the pinch. Thobile Tsotetsi, a mother of three, said the lack of hot water and reliable power forced her to send her children to Soweto. “We’ve been eating fast food every day—it’s money we didn’t plan to spend,” she said.

Retailers like Tekkie Town on Pritchard Street report losing customers due to dark, uninviting shopping environments. “We don’t have a generator, and our inverter ran out on the second day of the blackout,” said the store manager.

Calls for Police Action
Mangena emphasized the need for law enforcement to crack down on scrapyards buying stolen copper cables. “We deal with common criminals, but the police need to address the big fish. Until they tackle scrapyards, this crime will persist,” he said.

Copper theft has caused significant financial losses for City Power, which must replace expensive high-voltage cables repeatedly. Criminals reportedly use tunnels and sewage systems to access underground infrastructure.

Provincial police spokesperson Col Mawela Masondo confirmed awareness of the attacks on City Power technicians. However, effective action against the crime syndicates behind the theft remains elusive.

City Power urges the public to report suspicious activity and any scrapyards dealing in stolen copper to help mitigate the crisis. The utility also appealed to businesses and residents for patience as they work to restore power safely and efficiently amid these challenges.

As Johannesburg grapples with escalating underground crime, City Power’s plea for police escorts underscores the urgent need for collaboration to protect essential infrastructure and restore stability to the city.

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