Inequality in resources available to residents — from security guards and surveillance in some areas to unarmed community foot patrols in others – determines how different parts of the city experience and respond to electricity-related crimes.

In the middle and upper class suburbs of Greenside, Parktown North and Kensington private security firms have taken a frontline role in protecting electricity infrastructure. Security officers often encounter cable thieves during routine patrols, act as first responders and share crime intelligence with the police.

City Power formalises this cooperation through signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with security firms and residents, as part of their Community Partnerships Program.

“The Community Partnership Programme is an initiative in which businesses, customers, security companies, and residents’ associations voluntarily adopt and protect City Power’s network infrastructure. The application form is available at the City Power Security Risk Management Department,” Isaac Mangena, City Power Spokesperson, told Our City News (OCN).

“Currently, City Power has signed over 800 Community Partnership agreements.”

The terms of the agreements vary across different communities.

“We pay about R450 a month to a security company that not only patrols our boxes and substations, but keeps them under lock and key. They only open for contractors who are verified by City Power,” said Judith Ancer, member of the Greenside Residents Association.

“Secure infrastructure should be covered by our rates. We’d much rather spend the extra money on beautifying our local park, or another need, but we had to start with the basics,” she added.

Ancer said that at the height of their cable theft crisis, the area was plagued by weekly incidents of theft and vandalism.

“We’d hear a big explosion in the middle of the night and just know that we’re waking up to no power in the morning.”

Around the time that the Greenside and Parktown North MOUs were signed in 2019, City Power also replaced the overhead copper cables with aluminium that has much less resale value. Ancer said that following those two interventions, incidents of infrastructure vandalism and theft are now few and far between in Greenside.

In Kensington, an MOU with City Power dictates that when residents or security guards report a crime through a dedicated hotline, City Power must respond within two minutes to cable theft reports and within two days to reports of illegal connections.

Poorer suburbs have to do it themselves

Richard Francis, Chairperson of the Cleveland Community Policing Forum (CPF) told OCN that City Power’s quick response time has been especially helpful for prosecuting electricity crimes.

“By law, City Power is the only party that can identify their property and open a criminal case against suspects that we apprehend. Now that they come out so quickly, they’re opening more cases,” said Francis.

The Cleveland precinct comprises a mix of middle to upper class suburbs of Kensington, Bruma and Cyrildene and low-income neighbourhoods like Cleveland, Malvern and the Jampas township. These areas border the inner-city Jeppe precinct, one of the top ten crime hot spots in the country.

“In addition to private security services, our more affluent residents also have security cameras. These resources are what we call force multipliers, they boost our fight against cable theft. In the poorer areas, the only force multipliers are the residents themselves,” said Francis.

In Jeppe and parts of Cleveland where residents can’t afford private security services, community members volunteer for neighbourhood watch foot patrols to guard their infrastructure.

“There are very few private security role players in our areas. As a low-income community we are unable to absorb the costs,” Jeppe CPF Chairperson Zenzile Ayanda told OCN. The Jeppe Precinct borders Cleveland’s low-income areas and the two CPFs often work together in crime hotspots.

Both Zenzile and Francis say that cable theft and damage to the electricity infrastructure are daily occurrences in the Jeppe-Cleveland area. Patrollers regularly encounter people stealing cable and vandalising infrastructure.

“It’s very dangerous to approach them. We are unarmed, and they’ve opened fire on our patrollers before,” said Zenzile.

Zenzile complained that City Power is not supportive or responsive to their efforts.

“We’ve never had City Power’s involvement in our raids on scrap dealers in the area. When we find stolen copper, we call and call and no one comes to identify their property. They have a bad attitude toward us.”

Cost of theft and vandalism

Mangena told OCN that City Power provides security support and responds to incidents in all parts of the city without distinction between rich and poor. However, inner city areas such as Malvern and Jeppe have been identified as high-risk zones where not only is infrastructure under attack, but so are staff and contractors who enter those areas.

“These risks make it increasingly difficult to provide consistent on-the-ground security support in such areas,” he said.

Mangena said that while City Power spends R100-million on private security services to safeguard their infrastructure, “our primary responsibility is not to secure infrastructure”.

That is the oversight of public safety and security services like the Metro Police and SAPS.

City Power loses about R25-million a month to theft and vandalism. According to the Auditor-General’s report, City Power lost about R3.5 billion in the 2023–2024 financial year due to non-technical losses like theft and illegal connections. This year, the utility has so far suffered losses of R114 million because of cable theft alone.

Written by Zanele Mji for GroundUp and republished with permission. The original article can be found here.

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The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) welcomed the City’s decision to repeal what it said was a controversial by-law. This comes after OUTA and the South African Property Owners Association (SAPOA) both launched legal challenges to stop the by-law from taking effect.

The by-law, passed by the City’s council meeting on 21 February 2025, would have forced property owners who installed private CCTV (closed-circuit TV) cameras to register with the metro police and pay annual fees, effectively taxing law-abiding residents for protecting their own safety.

The by-law was the Privately-Owned Closed-Circuit Television Surveillance Camera By Law, and it forced individuals and businesses to register their cameras, pay fees, provide plans, get sign-off from engineers, and blocked owners from sharing footage themselves but required City access to footage. In July 2025, both OUTA and SAPOA launched legal challenges against the by-law, warning the City that the by-law infringed on residents’ rights and added red tape without improving public safety.

The City is reported to have repealed the by-law at its council meeting on 2 September.

OUTA will not proceed with its legal action but will seek costs, formalised as an order of court, as the City chose to fight instead of heeding calls to repeal earlier.

“Repealing this bylaw is a victory for common sense. It was never about public safety – it was about squeezing law-abiding residents for more money,” said Advocate Stefanie Fick, OUTA’s Executive Director of Accountability.

“It should not take a court case to force the City to do the right thing. Leaders should listen to their residents before passing laws that make life harder.”

The City of Joburg council would serve residents far better by focusing on fixing decaying infrastructure and service delivery rather than dreaming up new ways to extract money from people already burdened by high rates and failing services, OUTA said.

“Why this bylaw was passed in the first place remains a mystery: was it incompetence, arrogance in thinking residents wouldn’t notice, or a desperate attempt to raise funds? Either way, it highlights the need for better leadership – leaders who put Joburg residents ahead of their own pockets,” said Fick.

“This outcome is a reminder that civil society plays a critical role in holding government to account when governance fails. OUTA recognises SAPOA’s parallel legal challenge as another crucial piece of the pressure that brought about this result. Joburg deserves leaders who focus on service delivery, not schemes to milk residents,” OUTA added.

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These public safety agencies previously relied solely on a third party provincial TETRA radio network for their communications, but the lack of maintenance on this TETRA network impacted on the operations due to frequent dead zones which compromised officer communication and public safety, Hytera said in a statement.

To address the coverage blackspots and limited functionality in the existing system, Hytera deployed its PTC680 multi-mode advanced radios, which integrate TETRA and LTE networks in a single device.  “This approach fits the trend in communication technology alongside more traditional radio technology so that officers can communicate in areas where there is no radio coverage. When an officer roams outside the area of coverage, the radio will automatically and seamlessly switch between networks without the user having to manually change anything,” said senior spokesperson for Hytera South Africa, Cedric Mark Rigney.

The solution was also designed with cost-efficiency in mind. Hytera augmented and improved what the agencies already had, with a 3G or LTE network as a fallback. Now, this hybrid approach allows police, fire and ambulance personnel to stay connected with their colleagues and the control room, he added, thereby protecting the investment into narrowband.

With LTE, officers can even stream video back to the police control room to enhance situational awareness and improve decision-making. Similarly, paramedics can stream footage of a patient to doctors and other medical professionals for expert advice.

This has been a big win from the project, explained Rigney. “If, for example, there’s a cash-in-transit heist that resulted in a vehicle accident, different teams need to respond in a coordinated manner. So, they might need to dispatch an ambulance or fire truck, in addition to traffic personnel to manage any traffic congestion caused by the incident.”

The devices are also GPS-enabled, allowing a dispatcher to see the location of everyone and send the closest personnel to the incident. Should a citizen call in an incident, the dispatcher can quickly assign the closest officer and then monitor how far away help is. Much like your Uber app allows you to ‘watch’ your order in real time, the dispatcher can now track the first responder’s progress and then feed that information back to the person who reported the incident. This enables commanders and supervisors to manage their resources more efficiently and coordinate a response to any incident or emergency more quickly.

For the JMPD and EMS, this data is invaluable to improve service delivery, said Rigney. “Being able to accurately track things like how long it took for a dispatcher to close an incident, or how long it took for the person to reach the scene, it’s possible to identify where we are falling short and come up with strategies to improve the level of service we deliver,” Rigney continued.

“Emergency service professionals should be focused on saving lives, not battling communication challenges,” said Rigney. “With this project, we are not only solving operational pain points — we are helping create a safer, more responsive city for everyone in Johannesburg.”

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In the week from 28 April to 4 May 2025, the JMPD caught 115 drivers who were driving drunk. The crackdown, achieved through targeted roadblocks, undercover operations, and swift follow-ups on public tips, reflects not only a sobering snapshot of Johannesburg’s drinking-and-driving culture but also a rededicated determination on the part of law enforcement to rein it in.

This heightened enforcement is all the more dramatic as part of a broader citywide road safety campaign launched earlier this year by Commissioner Jaca, who has made traffic discipline a priority since taking command.

“Although the JMPD is working hard to enforce traffic law and arrest perpetrators, road safety is the responsibility of everyone,” Jaca stated following the arrests.

“We urge members of the public to make the right decisions, not to drink and drive, and to report suspected cases of driving under the influence. Your support is invaluable to assist in making our roads safer for everyone.”

A culture of impunity meets its reckoning

South Africa consistently ranks among the world’s highest road death tolls per capita. One of the contributing factors is alcohol, especially in city centers like Johannesburg where there is vibrant night life and a lack of public transportation after dark.

In most townships and affluent suburbs too, the sight of a driver casually taking a swig or speeding after a night out has long been greeted with a shrug. But Jaca’s JMPD is making it clear: those days are over.

“These arrests should serve as a wake-up call,” JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla said.

“Drinking and driving is not only illegal – it’s deadly. With every arrest, we may be preventing a tragedy.”

Leadership that hears, acts, and holds the line

Commissioner Patrick Jaca’s rise to the helm of JMPD was not without attention. A seasoned officer with a track record for operational toughness, his appointment in early 2025 came with a public ultimatum: restore order to Johannesburg’s ever-lawless roads.

Jaca has wasted no time since taking office. In addition to drunk driving, cracking down on speeding taxi drivers, unlicensed cars, and drag racing – issues that have plagued Johannesburg’s roads and bred public doubt about traffic enforcement – are on his agenda.

But what sets Jaca apart is not just the scope of operations — it’s the thought behind them. The JMPD under his leadership has become increasingly intelligence-driven, making use of surveillance technology, community tip-offs, and data analysis to identify hotspots and repeat offenders.

“Enforcement isn’t just about setting up roadblocks anymore,” said one senior JMPD official, who asked not to be named. “It’s about knowing where to be, when to be there, and who to watch.”

Public response: relief, praise – and a warning

On the ground, the campaign is earning the approval of many residents, especially those who have lost loved ones to drunk drivers.

“I wish this was done years ago,” Nhlanhla Dube, whose brother was killed in 2021 by a drunk driver, responded.

“Too many have lost their lives because someone chose to drink and drive. This is long overdue.”

Others appreciated the increased presence of JMPD in hotspots of crime.

“These operations are bearing fruit – you can see it,” said Refilwe Molefe, a rideshare driver.

“I feel safer driving night shifts now.”

Not everyone is cheering, however. Some critics have argued that such crackdowns could disproportionately affect lower-income motorists who lack access to safe public transit or who rely on informal social events for recreation.

To this, the JMPD’s position remains the same: public safety is non-negotiable.

“We recognise the structural issues, but drunk driving under no circumstance is acceptable,” Fihla said.

“There are alternatives – phone a friend, use an e-hailing app, or designate a sober driver.”

What’s next?

With the success of this week’s operation, the JMPD says it will persist – and even escalate – its road safety campaigns. City-wide awareness campaigns, more intense weekend operations, and increased collaboration with the Gauteng Provincial Government to make late-night public transport more available are on the cards.

Commissioner Jaca also proposed the utilisation of mobile alcohol testing units and body cameras for traffic officers to ensure transparency and accountability.

“We’re just getting started,” he said.

“The people of Johannesburg deserve safe roads, and we will not rest until we deliver them.”

The bottom line

The JMPD’s message is straightforward and unbending: drink and drive, and you will be arrested. With a tough, targeted, and data-driven strategy, Chief Jaca is changing road safety enforcement in Johannesburg – one arrest at a time.

But while police officers can enforce the law, it’s the public who ultimately need to choose responsibility over recklessness.

Because every time someone makes the choice not to drive drunk, a life might just be saved.

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City Leadership Support City Speaker of the City of Johannesburg, Nobuhle Mthembu, sent her warmest congratulations to Jaca on his appointment, commenting on his service and dedication to public safety.

“Chief of Police Patrick Jaca, I take this chance to extend to you my warmest congratulations on your approval as Chief of Police of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) by the City of Johannesburg Council in full sitting,” stated Mthembu.

“With over three decades of experience in public safety, your dedication, sacrificial spirit, and passion to serve the people truly stand out. I am sure that these will bear a very positive effect on the city as well as its people.”

She also appreciated JMPD leadership, City of Johannesburg Mayoral Committee members, and all councillors of all political parties for trusting Jaca’s leadership.

“Having had the privilege of working with you previously in your role as Regional Operations Command in my area, Region F1, I am more than confident in your ability and capabilities. I look forward to working with you as we strive to create a safer, crime-free city for all,” she added.

An experienced Commander for a crucial job, Jaca formally accepted his appointment as Chief of Police on 1 February 2025 following his recommendation by the Johannesburg Metro Council. The appointment has been ratified unanimously, with MMC for Public Safety, Cllr Mgcini Tshwaku, thanking him for his integrity and vision.

“Chief Jaca’s profound experience and unwavering commitment to justice make him the ideal leader to lead JMPD to excellence and ensure a safer Johannesburg for everyone,” Tshwaku told media recently.

Jaca’s life, from Alexandra Township, is an example of determination and uncompromising commitment to service. He began his career in policing in 1988 at the Alexandra Traffic Department and later joined the JMPD in 2001. The decade witnessed him moving up the ranks, doing creditably in crime prevention, by-law enforcement, and community policing. His leadership is defined by discipline, forward policing, and strategic innovation.

Priorities for a safer Johannesburg under Jaca’s leadership, the JMPD will be implementing a series of strategic initiatives to improve public safety as well as enforce the law more effectively. His priorities are:

•Strengthening the By-law Management Unit to ensure stricter enforcement.

•Increasing the Inner-City Rejuvenation Project to restore safety and order.

• Increasing crime intelligence to assist in controlling violent crime and organized syndicates.

•Improving road safety and traffic management to reduce fatalities.

• Building public trust through ethics and accountability in policing.

• Increasing officer presence and response times in hotspots.

• Using technology to have smarter crime prevention and traffic systems.

Despite the challenges ahead, Jaca is optimistic about the future of policing in Johannesburg. “We are at a turning point. My focus is on creating a disciplined, proactive force that rebuilds trust with the community and acts decisively against crime,” he said recently in an interview.

A vision for the future Jaca envisions JMPD with professionalism, innovation, and integrity. His vision of recruiting job posts, forging partnerships, and applying technology is going to transform the department into an unconquerable force in crime fighting.

“We will create a force that is feared by criminals but respected by people. By setting the very highest standards of service, we will make Johannesburg safe for all,” he pledged.

As the city prepares to celebrate Jaca’s inauguration, expectations have been revived that his government will introduce the long-sought transformation in Johannesburg policing and lead the metropolis to its aspired safe and prosperous position.

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Private security companies in recent years have entered into collaborative arrangements with SAPS as part of their effort to arrest the problem. In fact, the Greater Gauteng Growth Together 2030 (GGT2030) programme works to bring a number of such firms into one umbrella for collectively working to make Johannesburg a safer place.

“That, to me, is the importance of collaboration towards these efforts in creating a crime-free Johannesburg,” explained Deon Janneke, Director of Corporate Asset Management Security and one of the key drivers of GGT2030. 

“The idea of our company partnering with the SAPS is to make Johannesburg a safer place for the community, and to invest in the community. As a former member of the police, it has always been my goal that our country should be a safer country to live in and root out crime.”

Janneke said in this way, private companies could cover bigger areas by putting in resources and expertise, hence providing a stronger security presence. He mentioned that GGT2030 was established to have more than one security company helping in fighting crime.

Technological integration in urban safety

Another important factor is the integration of technology into crime-combating measures. Most of the security companies already have  CCTV cameras installed in the Johannesburg area and LPR cameras linked with all the necessary role players such as the JMPD.

“The initiative seeks to further expand the network. GGT2030 are in the beginning stages to place more cameras in the CBD. We are asking for companies to sponsor this initiative and also assist us deploying vehicles with armed guards to patrol the CBD,” appealed Janneke.

Building community trust and participation

It is a question of trust within the community for these collaborations to yield results. Lieutenant Colonel Mavela Masondo, Media Liaison Officer for Gauteng Provincial Commissioner’s office, emphasises the inclusion of private security into daily operations. 

“During our operations we do not isolate security guards; we regard them as one of us and inform them about the principles of the SAPS,” Masondo said.

Communication goes a long way in building trust. In fact, SAPS and private security companies share information through social media platforms like WhatsApp groups for easy, quick updating of activities related to crime in town.

“They also have their cameras in town, helping to reduce crime,” he added, emphasising the sharing of responsibilities by the two parties.

“We need the community to get more involved in fighting crime,” Janneke said. Often, because of stigma – that law enforcement is corrupt – residents will not co-operate. “We are here to serve and protect the community,” Masondo said, and he called upon community members for information leading to combating criminal activities.

Citizens’ opinions: divided feelings

Comments from ordinary citizens on how private security is used by and, in turn, with the SAPS suggest a rather complicated picture. According to Butho Nyathi, a business owner, “Yes, the operations have improved safety in the area, and that makes our clients freely move. The CBD was usually feared but now, people are able to access the area.”

Nyathi reported increased customer traffic, with South Africans, for one, feeling much safer. “Our clients and employees are happy with this move. They say it has reduced chances of them getting robbed,” he said. 

This attitude reinforces the very notion of private security as a complementary service towards enhancing safety and community well-being.

Yet not everyone shares this optimism; Butholezwe Nkomo, the Director of IT Republic said: “The inner city is still unsafe for my business; most clients are still afraid to come over, especially after dark.” Nkomo further noted that while cooperation notwithstanding, mugging and violent cases break out, even if fewer in number, hence the negative consequence on business.

“Clients are still paranoid due to the fact that a lot of muggings are experienced, at times even shootings, in the inner CBD,” he said. 

Nkomo believes that private security and police can do much more to ensure safety and community engagement.

Private security firms and their operations

Dean Govender is the Operations Manager at Bad Boyz Security; his view echoes the above-mentioned need for community-centered approaches.

“We have the well-being of the community at heart, and we believe in giving back to the community rather than just taking from them,” he said, emphasising that this pledge on community safety was key to creating trust and efficacy in their operations.

“We work hand in glove with the SAPS, the Johannesburg Metro Police Services, and other security companies toward the attainment of absolute safety for the communities,” he said while revealing that they use technology such as CCTV cameras, drones, and LPR cameras during their operations, which makes it easier for private security firms to monitor and respond effectively against criminal activities.

“Our love for people drove us to be a part of those initiating safety for them,” Govender explained, with his sentiment echoing a growing emphasis on community-oriented security strategies that put the safety of vulnerable populations, such as women and children, first.

Future directions and challenges

While the SAPS-private security company collaborations indicate promise in that direction, several challenges remain. Clearly, more holistic interventions are called for.

“More needs to be done to make such security partnerships more effective,” insisted Nkomo, adding that these are things like increasing the number of street cameras, improving visibility through both foot and vehicle patrols, conducting thorough background checks for tenants within the area.

These programmes can only work if there is deep involvement by private security firms and law enforcement agencies. Above all, a whistleblowers’ safety platform should be established, and the community should be mobilised to participate in safety initiatives.

The root of the urban crime problem is complex, and as it continues to change, so too must the strategies to try and curtail it. This cooperation between the SAPS and private security companies is representative of a shift toward a more integrated community-oriented model of urban safety.

This therefore serves to show that the partnership between the SAPS and private security companies in the Inner City of Johannesburg proves the potential of the collaboration approaches toward crime. Technological integrations, community involvements, and beliefs in mutual objectives are starting to change the face of security.

With stakeholders continuously adapting and finding new ways, the hope is that Johannesburg will be a safer city to live and work in for all its citizens and businesses, rebuilding faith in law enforcement and a safer future for all community members. 

Even while the challenges persist, the partnership between private security organizations and SAPS predicts a better trend in the fight against urban crime-one based on security, trust, and community involvement.

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Police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Amanda van Wyk said over 7000 counterfeit items valued at around R6.6-million were seized.

“These items imitating well-known brands included shoes, clothing, handbags, caps, perfumes, cosmetics and backpacks.”

“Police also seized sewing machines, an overlocker, an embossing machine, a hot press and a large quantity of labels of well-known brands. This is the biggest counterfeit manufacturing plant bust in the past year,” she said.

Van Wyk said the bust was a concerted effort to disrupt and dislodge the illicit trade in counterfeit goods.

“The team comprised of members of South African Police Service, officials from the South African Revenue Services (SARS), Gauteng Traffic, Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), Brand Protectors, Crime Prevention wardens and private security.” Less than a week ago, the team seized counterfeit goods worth R5.8-million in similar takedown operation in the Johannesburg CBD.

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