City Power has warned Rabie Ridge residents about bypassing electricity meters and illegal connections, saying the area’s power issues will not end unless they work with the utility and follow laws. This comes after the utility’s plans to upgrade the Allandale substation to supply electricity to Rabie Ridge. The area suffered months of electricity outages that have left residents, schools and businesses in the dark.
According to City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena, the utility has spent millions on replacing the same transformers many times as illegal connections from nearby informal settlements continue to overload the system and destroy equipment. “We can’t keep replacing the same transformers, only for them to fail again because of illegal connections and meter tempering,” Mangena said. Rabie Ridge recorded 31 outages from July 2024 to November 2025, with some lasting several days.
Mangena said underground cables supplying Extensions 1 and 2 are old, heavily jointed, and run through waterlogged areas, which makes them susceptible to regular failures and challenging to repair due to their location under private properties. “The substation itself has experienced repeated failures, and because of panel shortages, an outdated refurbished feeder board had to be installed,” Mangena said. In Extensions 4 and 5, illegal connections in surrounding informal settlements continued to overload the network, resulting in more transformer failures.
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“In Extensions 1 and 2, only 30% of customers purchase electricity legally, while 70% do not. This imbalance means we are supplying most of the area without revenue recovery, while also battling increased load from illegal connections,” Mangena said. The utility warned infrastructure upgrades will not deliver long-term relief if illegal connections continue. “Upgrading the Allandale substation and replacing aged infrastructure will not permanently address outage challenges as long as customers refuse to vend properly and connect irregularly.”
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