Seven Emfuleni municipal employees will remain behind bars over an alleged R150 000 electricity reconnection scheme, in which residents and businesses were allegedly charged to have their electricity illegally restored after being disconnected.
The alleged scheme ran from February 2024 to June 2026, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), with officials allegedly approaching customers whose electricity had been disconnected for outstanding municipal accounts.
The accused allegedly offered to reconnect their electricity in return for payment before unlawfully restoring supplies and manipulating municipal records to reflect reduced amounts owed.
According to NPA regional spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the scheme allegedly reduced the amount reflected on customers’ accounts temporarily, only for the original debt to resurface while their electricity remained illegally connected.
“In the following months the electrical account would show the initial amount owed… while their electricity would remain connected due to the illegal connection,” Mahanjana said.
