Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero was in an area where 98% of prepaid electricity meters had been bypassed.
Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero has apologised for a heated exchange with community members during an electricity-related site visit.
Municipal officials and City Power were in Tshepisong on Thursday to engage with a community ravaged by lengthy and persistent power outages.
City Power explained the area was heavily affected by infrastructure tampering, vandalism and illegal connections, coupled with rampant non-payment.
“The Tshepisong network serves an estimated 12 000 customers. Of the 11 958 registered prepaid customers, only 202 are actively purchasing electricity.
“Although prepaid meters were installed across the network during 2026 to improve access to electricity services and support revenue collection, many have subsequently been bypassed,” City Power explained.
Morero was addressing the community when one member of the crowd shouted accusations of misappropriation at the mayor.
Morero was blunt in asking the crowd not to make such claims, asserting that he was “not a criminal” and “u bua m*s*pa”, which translates to “you’re talking sh*t”.
Tensions did not immediately ease, but Morero posted an apology later in the day.
“I’d like to profusely and unconditionally apologise for my utterances which were made this morning at the meeting.
“It should not have been done in that fashion, and I do take full responsibility,” said the mayor.
He claimed the matter has been resolved and that he had smoothed over the issue with his heckler.
“Over and above, I did have a word or two with the resident concerned, and the meeting accepted my apology in the meeting.
“I do apologise for the conduct of that meeting,” Morero concluded.
The mayor and City Power stated that work to improve the community’s situation would begin on Monday.
This would include the replacement of bypassed meters, the removal of illegal connections, and the replacement of cables, among others.
Officials stated there was an “electricity mafia” operating in the area, with infrastructure services MMC Jack Sekwaila urging community members to contact the police rather than allow the destruction of City Power infrastructure.
“That is criminality. Only City Power and Eskom have the right to sell electricity to the community, so our plea today is for the community to also play its role in fighting this criminal activity.
City Power CEO Charles Tlouane echoed these calls, stressing the importance of a paying customer base.
“When customers pay for electricity, it enables us to maintain and strengthen the network, which is essential to achieving a more stable and sustainable electricity supply,” Tlouane stated.
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