JOBURG POWER NETWORK ATTACKS RAISE SABOTAGE CONCERNS AS TWO SUSPECTS ARE ARRESTED IN ROODEPOORT
City Power has found most of the recent outages linked to cases of vandalism and theft as we investigate possible coordinated attacks on critical electricity infrastructure. The entity is intensifying its security and law enforcement response in Roodepoort following the arrest of two suspects in connection with the vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure at the Reyger Switching Station in Witpoortjie on Monday, 17 August 2026.
The arrests come amid a concerning pattern of attacks on electricity infrastructure in the Roodepoort area, which directly contributed to outages in recent days and weeks affecting Lindhaven, Grobler Park, Welgeheuwel and Honeydew. City Power is investigating whether the incidents are isolated acts of vandalism and theft or they could point to a broader and coordinated effort to target strategic points on the electricity network.
At the Reyger Switching Station in Dromedaries Street, six switch gears were removed from their panels and vandalised over the weekend. Preliminary investigations indicate that access was gained through a broken section of the perimeter fence and the door broken into. Oil was also found spilled inside the station.
The two suspects were arrested following a coordinated undercover operation. A criminal case relating to tampering with essential infrastructure is being opened with the South African Police Service (SAPS) in Roodepoort. City Power is escalating the matter for further investigation and will assess whether the suspects may be linked to other infrastructure-related incidents. City Power Acting CEO Charles Tlouane said while the arrests were an important breakthrough, he called on the law enforcement agencies to dig deeper to determine the involvement if organized criminals and saboteurs involved in targeting the electricity across the City.
“The arrest of these two suspects gives us an important opportunity to establish who is behind the attacks and whether there are links between incidents affecting critical infrastructure in Roodepoort and elsewhere in the City where our infrastructure has been under siege. We will not pre-empt the investigation by labelling the suspects as members of a syndicate, but the repeated and targeted nature of these attacks leaves much to be desired and requires an intelligence-led investigation that looks at the wider network of those involved. We will be naive to rule out the possible involvement of our own staff and contractirs,” said Tlouane.
The scale of the current service pressure is reflected in the Roodepoort Service Delivery Centre (SDC), which is managing more than 491 open outage calls, including 425 reported within the past 24 hours. Not all these outages are attributable to criminal activity, but the recent attacks have added to the operational pressure on City Power and continue to the weakening of the network.
The Reefhaven Switching Station was recently targeted, resulting in outages affecting Lindhaven and Grobler Park, while a separate incident at the Ruimsig Substation affected Welgeheuwel and Honeydew. Both incidents involved vandalism and theft. City Power is concerned that the repeated targeting of strategic installations could amount to activity bordering on sabotage if evidence establishes that the attacks are deliberately intended to compromise an essential service. These infrastructure attacks have also been seen increasing in Randburg, with the latest attack in Sundowner further demonstrating the dire consequences this has for the communities. During this incident an indoor transformer installation on Aries Avenue in Sundowner was severely vandalised and critical components, including copper conductors, cables and other transformer components, were stolen. The damage rendered the transformer inoperable, leaving parts of Sundowner, including Aries Avenue, Scorpio Avenue, Pluto Close and Saturnus Avenue, without electricity.
No arrests have been made in the Sundowner case and investigations are continuing. The damaged transformer has been removed to make way for a replacement, which is being procured and will be delivered for installation once available. Technical teams and the contractor are preparing for the replacement, but there is currently no estimated time of restoration.
Tlouane said the Sundowner attack demonstrated why infrastructure protection requires cooperation between City Power, law enforcement and communities.
“The repeated incidents in Randburg reinforce the need for residents and law enforcement to help us identify suspicious activity before critical infrastructure is compromised,” said Tlouane.
City Power has deployed additional security scouts to increase patrols around switching stations and other critical infrastructure in Roodepoort and is strengthening cooperation with the South African Police Service and other law enforcement agencies. The entity is also calling on residents and business community to partake in the Community Partnership Programme to protect City Power electricity network infrastructure by investing resources and showing visibility through coordinated patrols.
Suspicious activity, suspected tampering, vandalism, cable theft and illegal connections can be reported to the City Power Security Risk Management Control Room on 011 490 7900, 011 490 7911 or via WhatsApp on 083 579 4497. Criminal activity should also be reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
City Power recorded 1,138 infrastructure-related incidents during the 2024/25 financial year and 1,054 during 2025/26, representing an overall decline. Despite this improvement, the repeated targeting of critical infrastructure remains a serious threat to reliable electricity supply and places avoidable pressure on communities and restoration operations.
The entity remains committed to protecting Johannesburg’s electricity network and working with law enforcement and communities to ensure that criminal activity does not undermine electricity supply, disrupt businesses and residents or compromise the city’s continued development
