From July 2025 to January 2026, City Power suffered 652 incidents of cable theft and vandalism, which outpaced its ability to repair the infrastructure, leaving communities without electricity for extended periods.

In an interview with Daily Maverick, a 49-year-old cable thief, who said he had left the business but asked to remain anonymous, described how he accessed Johannesburg's underground tunnels by paying security guards.

"It's very easy to access the tunnels to steal cables," he said.

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For five years, he trawled City Power's underground tunnels, stripping cables.

"All you need to access the underground is cash, and it must be hard cash because it's a high-stakes game characterised by a complete lack of trust," he said.

"The security guards who sell access to the underground are very clear about not accepting payment other than cash. You cannot eWallet them."

In the seven months from July 2025 to January 2026, City Power suffered 652 incidents of cable theft and vandalism, which the utility said outstripped its ability to repair the infrastructure, leaving communities without electricity for extended periods. From January to June 2025, City Power recorded 481 incidents.

While dozens of people were arrested in Joburg for cable theft last year, the thief who spoke to Daily Maverick said his luck ran out when he was caught by community members in his own neighbourhood, Freedom Park, Soweto, for stealing copper cables and...