Five years in jail for City Power contractors found guilty of corruption

CEO wants stiffer sentences for crimes that target essential infrastructure

The Johannesburg magistrate’s court on Tuesday sentenced two City Power contractors to five years in prison each for extortion and corruption after their conviction on Friday. 

Mahlatsi Ramoroka, 39, and Jacob Morena, 36, attached to the inner city service delivery centre, were arrested in March 2019 after demanding a bribe of R5,000 from a customer in Kensington for the reinstallation of a meter box which had been removed during an unauthorised service operation.

“Their arrest followed a covert sting operation which led to their conviction on charges of extortion and corruption,” said City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena. 

In a separate case last week, two suspects claiming to be City Power contractors were arrested on Friday in Randburg for tampering with essential infrastructure. 

“The pair was caught fiddling with a pillar box by City Power security personnel. The suspects allegedly attempted to bribe the security officers.” 

Their case is before the Randburg magistrate’s court.

On Sunday, another suspect was arrested for tampering with City Power infrastructure at the Fordsburg substation feeder room. 

Mangena said the suspect, who was found wandering through tunnels used to access critical infrastructure, was unresponsive during questioning and did not provide any personal details.

“Given his frail condition, he was taken to hospital under police guard.”

Mangena said the growing prevalence of cable theft and infrastructure vandalism had become a major concern for City Power, particularly as the festive season approached and electricity demand surged.

“To date, 102 individuals have been arrested for such crimes since the beginning of 2024.” 

While City Power welcomed these convictions, its CEO Tshifularo Mashava has voiced concern over the leniency of some sentences.

“While we are encouraged by the growing number of convictions, the leniency in some cases is deeply concerning. Crimes that target essential infrastructure should carry more severe penalties,” she said. 

Mashava said these were schedule five offences under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, which mandated a minimum sentence of 15 years.

“We are once again calling on the National Prosecuting Authority to review these cases, especially where sentences appear disproportionately lenient,” Mashava said. 

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