Parts of Johannesburg Hit by Major Power Outage
A major power outage left multiple areas in the City of Johannesburg in darkness after veld fires caused the Prospect Substation in Elandsfontein to trip, reports News24. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said that this incident impacted several other substations across the city, leaving many residents without electricity. According to Mangena, fires beneath the high-transmission lines in City Deep were the main cause of the disruption. He noted that efforts to restore power had been partially successful, with most affected areas now having electricity. However, the Mulbarton, Mondeor, and Robertsham substations remain without power.
Former Bank Worker Jailed for Defrauding Clients
A 32-year-old former Standard Bank employee has been sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding the bank’s clients of over R3 million, reports IOL. Cynthia Ncube received her sentence from the Johannesburg Specialised Commercial Crime Court. National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwane said that investigations by the Hawks revealed Ncube abused her position between August 8 and August 22, 2018, to access the bank’s client database. She targeted clients with substantial investments, resulting in significant financial losses. “She transferred funds from clients’ accounts without consent, often directing the money to offshore companies and her own account. The fraudulent transactions totaled over R3 million,” said Mjonondwane. “The criminal acts affected multiple clients, including one who lost over R397,000 and another who was defrauded of more than R1.7 million.”
City Power Employees Caught in Copper Theft Scandal
Three City Power employees were reportedly caught red-handed, stealing copper valued at R20,000 from a City Power office in Johannesburg, reports News24. When law enforcement intervened, the group allegedly attempted to flee with the stolen copper. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said that security risk management officials, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies, acted on a tip-off about suspicious activity at one of their offices. Mangena said that the issue of copper cable theft and vandalism is partly facilitated by individuals within the organization, prompting City Power to tighten its internal control measures. According to City Power, in the previous financial year, 132 individuals were arrested on various charges related to theft and vandalism, with some of those detained being employees.
