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Copper extracted from live power cables, technicians threatened and shot at and collapsing substations — these are just some of the problems illegal mining poses to City Power.In the Johannesburg electricity entity’s third-quarter report, tabled in council this month, City Power says the persistent threat of theft, vandalism and illegal mining poses a significant risk to its infrastructure, efficiency and financial sustainability.The activities also affect its ability to provide uninterrupted electricity and are diverting critical resources away from planned maintenance and infrastructure development, City Power says. “In many instances, stolen copper is extracted from live cables, posing life-threatening risks not only to perpetrators but also to operational personnel and nearby communities.” The theft of copper cable remains one of the most frequent and damaging incidents, often resulting in prolonged outages, equipment failure and expensive emergency repairs, the report says.A substation that was damaged by illegal miners. Picture: City Power (City Power) “Illegal mining near disused or active mining belts further compounds the problem. These activities destabilise soil and underground structures, increasing the risk of land collapse around powerlines and substations. In some cases, entire substations have had to be shut down or relocated due to safety concerns linked to underground instability.” According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, the substations most affected by illegal mining are Robertville and Roodepoort. “Illegal mining has created significant ground instability around the Robertville substation, prompting City Power to undertake geological assessments to determine the risk and appropriate actions,” Mangena said.He said a combined geotechnical investigation and Robertville substation structural analysis report was completed in June 2024.“The investigations identified geological conditions associated with historic mining, including fractured rock. However, continued illegal mining beneath and around the Robertville substation has significantly exacerbated these conditions, posing an increasing threat to the stability of the infrastructure. Follow-up site assessments confirmed continued ground movement and deterioration over a relatively short period, demonstrating that the impacts of the ongoing illegal activity continue to worsen.” About 5km away, Roodepoort substation identified similar signs of ground instability, Mangena said. These included an inverter plinth beginning to cave in and a support pole that had started to tilt between site visits, while illegal mining excavations were observed near the pole.The geotechnical report considered several mitigation measures, one of which was the relocation of Robertville, but it would be costly. As part of its contingency planning, City Power is stabilising the surrounding electricity network and strengthening supply resilience. This includes extending the Fleurhof substation network to provide a backup supply should an incident affect Robertville.Mangena said the Main Reef corridor, stretching from Industria through Roodepoort towards Tshepisong, remained one of City Power’s greatest concerns, as extensive illegal mining was taking place beneath critical high-voltage electricity infrastructure.He said underground excavations had compromised ground stability, placing substations, transformers, pylons and transmission towers at risk. In some areas, infrastructure had already begun to sink as illegal mining continued.Other identified hotspots include Crown Mines, Riverlea, Cleveland, Jeppestown, George Goch, Braamfontein, parts of the Johannesburg CBD and sections of the inner city’s underground tunnel network, where illegal mining and related criminal activities continue to threaten the electricity network.“City Power is increasingly concerned about Johannesburg’s approximately 14km underground tunnel network, particularly beneath parts of the inner city, where electricity cables are frequently targeted by criminal syndicates,” Mangena said.City Power workers had encountered criminals operating underground in a manner similar to illegal miners, harvesting electricity infrastructure and accessing municipal assets from below ground.City Power technical teams working in the Roodepoort/Main Reef corridor had been threatened and, in some instances, shot at by heavily armed criminal groups operating in and around abandoned mines, Mangena said.“These dangerous conditions have at times prevented employees and contractors from safely accessing damaged infrastructure and restoring electricity supply.”Mangena said the most recent security-related incident occurred in June at Robertville substation, where City Power technical staff were threatened while working.“Similar threats were experienced at Roodepoort substation during past site inspections. Fortunately, no employees or contractors were injured. “These incidents are not isolated. City Power personnel have, on several occasions, been confronted, threatened and robbed while working in areas affected by illegal mining. As a result, the entity now undertakes enhanced security measures when responding to high-risk sites, including deploying private security and co-ordinating with police and the JMPD [Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department].” City Power says illegal miners have robbed maintenance teams and contractors, prompting them to call in the police. Picture: City Power (City Power) Mangena said repairs in these areas were mostly done during daylight to minimise the risk to staff.Last December, City Power’s security tactical team spotted a group of about 15 men inside tunnels near City Gen substation. When the team approached, the suspects opened fire with a rifle. The police were contacted for backup.“Illegal miners have also targeted City Power infrastructure through the theft of copper cables and have robbed maintenance teams and contractors. This demonstrates that the threat extends beyond damage to infrastructure to the safety of people,” said Mangena.SAPS and JMPD members accompany City Power workers during an operation in Alexandra to disconnect illegal connections. The faces of City Power workers have been obscured for their safety. Picture: City Power (City Power) In the 2024/25 financial year, City Power spent around R235m repairing infrastructure damaged by theft and vandalism. Last October and November, seven vandalism incidents targeting substations in Kibler Park and Mondeor cost the entity R7.8m in repairs. These acts also caused outages affecting residents and businesses, Mangena said.To combat the effects of illegal mining on City Power operations, City Power has for years worked with the SAPS, JMPD, community policing forums and private security. From January to March this year, 21 people were convicted of cable theft and infrastructure crimes, accounting for nearly 60% of all convictions recorded during the entire 2025/26 financial year.This story is produced by Our City News, a nonprofit newsroom serving the people of Johannesburg
