City Power 'cautiously' resumes service after Joburg CBD violence

City Power in Johannesburg has started resuming operations after the utility withdrew response teams from areas plagued by violence and looting on Sunday and Monday.

“We will continue to monitor violence flash points across the city to determine whether it's safe to operate or not,” said spokesperson Isaac Mangena.

“Skeletal service resumed on Monday midday, after the situation improved in areas like Malvern, Jeppestown, Rossettenville, Hillbrow and Joburg CBD, and after assurance by the police and in engagement with City of Joburg ward councillors, who indicated that it was fairly safe to go into those areas.

“However, we won't be dispatching at night in those areas until we are sure of the safety of our contractors and employees.”

With Tuesday starting “fairly quiet, we have decided to continue with the services as per normal,” said Mangena.

“We have urged our employees and contractors to exercise caution and take measures necessary to ensure their safety and that of the vehicles, equipment and the infrastructure they work on.”

He said the violence did not only threaten the lives of the entity's employees and contractors, but also resulted in some of its operations being disrupted and response times affected, inconveniencing customers. That said, “the safety of our employees is of paramount importance and we will continue monitoring the situation daily and will make necessary calls when needed.”