City Power Faces Major Setback with Tampering of New Meters in Alexandra
City Power's R3.2 million upgrade in Alexandra is compromised as all 384 prepaid meters are found tampered with. This incident highlights the ongoing issue of electricity theft, impacting revenue and network stability.
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In Alexandra, City Power has reported that all 384 newly installed prepaid electricity meters have been tampered with, following an upgrade costing R3.2 million. This situation emerged after a decline in electricity vending was observed in January 2026, prompting investigations that confirmed illegal meter bridging by households.
City Power incurred R2.38 million in metering costs, along with an additional R900,000 for a mini substation replacement due to theft-related overloads. Penalties for tampering have been introduced, mandating fees of R14,408 for standard households and R4,605 for pensioners for restoring services.
The utility warns that electricity theft risks equipment damage and safety hazards, exacerbating outages and endangering residents. City Power's proactive detection measures demonstrate its commitment to addressing these challenges.
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