Increasing violence in Westbury and surrounds in western Johannesburg is negatively impacting service delivery, says City Power.
“The alleged violence between two rival drug gangs, reportedly triggered by the killing of one of the kingpins, has left Westbury, Eldorado Park, Claremont and Riverlia as no-go areas. For this reason, City Power, out of concern for the safety of its personnel, has decided to withdraw its employees and contractors from the affected areas, said spokesperson for the entity Isaac Mangena.
“It's important to mention that at the moment there are no outstanding outages in that area. However, given the impact of load-shedding, vandalism and cable theft, among others, there are no guarantees that the affected areas will not experience power outages during this volatile period,” he added.
“We are engaging councillors to come up with contingency measures so as not to leave customers stranded for a prolonged period.”
City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava has called on law-enforcement agencies to urgently restore stability in the area, saying: “We urge the South African Police Service to bring the situation under control in that part of the city, not only to enable smooth delivery of services, but to protect innocent lives that could be lost if this heightened level of violence continues unabated.”
A decision will be made in the coming days on a plan of action, guided by developments in the area, added Mashava.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and if things remain the same, we will consider bringing in JMPD to escort our technicians to site to carry out critical repair work,” she said.
City Power apologised to customers for the inconvenience.
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City Power withdraws personnel from Westbury due to 'gang violence'
Image: Antonio Muchave
Increasing violence in Westbury and surrounds in western Johannesburg is negatively impacting service delivery, says City Power.
“The alleged violence between two rival drug gangs, reportedly triggered by the killing of one of the kingpins, has left Westbury, Eldorado Park, Claremont and Riverlia as no-go areas. For this reason, City Power, out of concern for the safety of its personnel, has decided to withdraw its employees and contractors from the affected areas, said spokesperson for the entity Isaac Mangena.
“It's important to mention that at the moment there are no outstanding outages in that area. However, given the impact of load-shedding, vandalism and cable theft, among others, there are no guarantees that the affected areas will not experience power outages during this volatile period,” he added.
“We are engaging councillors to come up with contingency measures so as not to leave customers stranded for a prolonged period.”
City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava has called on law-enforcement agencies to urgently restore stability in the area, saying: “We urge the South African Police Service to bring the situation under control in that part of the city, not only to enable smooth delivery of services, but to protect innocent lives that could be lost if this heightened level of violence continues unabated.”
A decision will be made in the coming days on a plan of action, guided by developments in the area, added Mashava.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and if things remain the same, we will consider bringing in JMPD to escort our technicians to site to carry out critical repair work,” she said.
City Power apologised to customers for the inconvenience.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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