• A video shows Turffontein residents confronting City Power technicians and accusing the workers of asking for bribes during electricity disconnection and meter audit operations.
• City Power says the threats were meant to block its work in the area and has called on police to investigate the intimidation of its technicians.

City Power says its technicians in Turffontein faced threats from residents during a crackdown on illegal electricity connections.

The trouble started on Thursday, 20 November, when workers moved through the area to audit meters and cut illegal connections.

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A video on social media shows a group of residents confronting the technicians. In the clip, residents accuse the workers of asking for bribes. City Power says the accusations are false and are meant to stop the technicians from doing their jobs.

The utility says some people on the street have bypassed their meters and are not paying for electricity. It believes the video is a planned attempt to stir up violence against the workers.

In a statement, City Power says: "While we acknowledge that there have been a few cases in the past where employees or contractors have asked for bribes, what we saw in that video is completely unacceptable."

It says workers' lives are at risk and calls on communities to calm tensions instead of attacking people who are trying to fix the problem.

City Power says it takes any reports of wrongdoing seriously and acts against staff caught demanding bribes, including laying criminal charges.

Residents are urged not to give money to anyone during operations and to report suspicious behaviour to the police or City Power's Risk and Security Unit.

The utility has asked law enforcement to investigate the intimidation and says operations in Turffontein and other hotspots will continue.