‘Only 5%’ of Rabie Ridge residents buy electricity

On Thursday, frustrated residents blocked roads with burning tyres, rocks, and debris to protest the lack of access to electricity, water, and waste removal.

Police fired rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.

While City Power managed to repair the damaged infrastructure that caused the outage, the utility warned that illegal connections, particularly from the nearby informal settlement, are overloading the grid.

“Only 5% of Rabie Ridge is legally vending for electricity, while 95% of the residents are using electricity without paying for it. This illegal consumption is not only dangerous and puts people at risk of electrocution but also incredibly costly for City Power, as it results in frequent equipment failure and the need to replace infrastructure faster than it can be replenished,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.

Mangena also addressed claims that the area was without power for two weeks, stating the outage lasted only one day. 

“There will be pockets where trips or outages occur due to bad weather, vandalism, or theft, but there's no truth to the claim we denied electricity for two weeks.”

City Power had already deployed a contractor to address the issue, but due to the protest, operations were suspended for safety reasons. 

The contractor will resume work on Monday.

Mangena confirmed City Power is working on plans to install smart prepaid meters. 

These plans have been presented to community leaders, with a follow-up meeting scheduled to discuss the details. 

The aim is to ensure residents start paying for the electricity they consume, which will help maintain the power infrastructure.

“These prepaid meters will allow residents, including those from the informal settlement and parts of Kanana where illegal connections are prevalent, to buy electricity credits in advance, manage energy use, and ease the financial strain on City Power while reducing pressure on the grid,” said Mangena.

Since the protest, there have been no reported outages in the area. 

The power utility said it remains committed to resolving the issue and working with the community to find a lasting solution.

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