LISTEN | ‘We were held hostage’: City Power warns of violence against crews

City Power’s acting CEO has raised concerns about the increasingly hostile environments in which the utility’s workers are expected to perform their duties.

Staff, security guards and contracted workers have come under attack, with some taken hostage, beaten and robbed at gunpoint.

In the latest incident, a security officer at the Lenasia Service Delivery Centre had a car drive over him and was seriously injured when he and his friend were attacked by residents after an outage in the area.

This is the fifth incident in just two weeks involving City Power officers, and the third involving a hostage situation.

City Power security team leader from the Lenasia depot, Marks Tshifhiwa, described the tense negotiations between utility officials and residents who had trapped workers and vehicles inside the depot on Tuesday, before the violent attack.

During the attack, security officers were injured when a group of about 20 to 25 people stormed the depot after a prolonged power outage in Murray Avenue, Lenasia Ext 10.

Speaking to Sowetan, Tshifhiwa said he had responded after receiving a distress call from security officers stationed at the depot.

“It was around 2pm when I got the call from my officers on the ground. My understanding was that community members had blocked the gates with vehicles and were refusing to allow anyone to enter or leave.

“When I arrived, the gates were still blocked. It was just after 3pm. There were no police on the scene,” he said.

Tshifhiwa said City Power officials tried to negotiate with the residents.

“We engaged with the community, explaining we were there to help them. Even the electricians were on site. They refused to open the gate.

“They said they would open it when the electricity was restored. We were willing to send our electricians in to assist immediately,” he said.

However, the residents wanted to keep some officers inside the depot until power was restored, which Tshifhiwa said raised obvious safety concerns.

“Our priority was to help the customers. It was never about simply getting ourselves out. We were trying to negotiate so that we could help them while also allowing our vehicles and teams to leave and attend to other communities who needed our essential services,” he said.

“If we send our electricians into a community that has already held us hostage, how can we be certain those electricians will not also be held hostage? So they agreed, but there were terms and conditions attached.”

Tshifhiwa said residents refused to remove the blockade, leaving officials concerned for the safety of security personnel and technical staff.

“That was when the situation became violent. They started attacking the security officers and throwing stones. We called the JMPD (Johannesburg Metro Police Department) again, and they arrived after the windows had already been broken. One security officer was seriously injured and another was assaulted.

“When the JMPD arrived, some of the suspects tried to flee in their vehicles. One of our security officers tried to stop one of the vehicles, which drove over him,” he said.

Tshifhiwa said the officer was taken to the hospital and has been discharged but is still receiving medical treatment.

He added that although it was normal for a community to block a depot and cause disruptions, this was the first time it had become violent.

“It is common for frustrated residents to come to the depot demanding answers. It is also not the first time the gates have been blocked. However, this is the first time the situation has escalated to this level of violence,” he said.

“I am concerned about the safety of my officers, but we also have to service the community.”

According to City Power, in the 2024/25 financial year they had 12 hostage incidents, nine armed robberies, three hijackings and four shooting incidents involving personnel.

CEO Charles Tlouane said City Power would not allow its employees to be terrorised or its network to be sabotaged.

“Whether our employees and contractors are being held hostage while restoring electricity to communities or our security guards are being attacked by criminals stealing critical infrastructure, the outcome is the same. Lives are placed at risk, essential services are disrupted and communities suffer,” he said.

“We will continue working with law enforcement agencies to ensure that everyone responsible for these criminal acts is identified, arrested and prosecuted,” he said.

Johannesburg metro police have arrested four suspects in relation to the latest attack. They have been charged with attempted murder, assault, public violence and property damage. More arrests are expected.

Sowetan