City Power has earmarked over R12 million to drive its electric vehicle (EV) programme in the City of Johannesburg.
This emerged when the power utility on Friday presented its results for the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year.
City Power also revealed it is increasingly adding renewable energy to the grid, while intensifying the use of technology to combat crime and vandalism of its critical infrastructure.
“In line with the city’s green energy transition plan, we have taken a bold step towards sustainable and low operations through the development of the EV programme. Around R12.6 million has been allocated for the programme,” says the power utility in a statement.
It notes the project focuses on the gradual electrification of the entity’s fleet and the rollout of EV charging infrastructure across key service delivery centres.
According to City Power, the preparatory work − including feasibility assessments, installation of charging stations and sourcing of the first batch of fleets − has been completed.
It notes that the official launch of the EV programme is scheduled to take place this month.
In July, the power utility received a new batch of EV charging stations, highlighting a step forward in the utility's efforts to power Johannesburg's transition to a cleaner, smarter and more sustainable energy future.
The initiative forms part of its 10-point energy plan, which is a strategic roadmap to diversify the city’s energy mix, improve energy resilience, reduce carbon emissions and ultimately position the City of Johannesburg as a leader in the green economy.
The EV programme will see City Power deploying its own EV fleet, replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with electric models. These range from light-duty maintenance vans, to heavy-duty trucks that support its technical operations. The switch, according to the power utility, is not only vital for the environment, but will also reduce fuel and maintenance costs over time.
Renewable energy progress
The utility says in line with Johannesburg’s broader sustainability goals, City Power increased its renewable energy contribution to 16.79% of total energy demand, far exceeding the 2% target.
It states that the installed capacity of approved embedded generators on the municipal distribution network reached 10MW against a 6.9MW target, showing measurable progress towards energy diversification.
Financially, total revenue for the quarter stood at R7.09 billion, 1% below the budgeted R7.16 billion, with service charges contributing R6.61 billion as the main source of income.
The power utility points out that several revenue streams exceeded expectations, including capital grants at R73.6 million (35% above budget) and new connections at R29.3 million (259% above budget).
Expenditure was recorded at R9.06 billion, slightly higher than the R8.58 billion budget, largely due to higher bulk electricity costs and increased finance charges.
During the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year, City Power says its security risk management team, working closely with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, the South African Police Service, private security partners and communities, intensified efforts to curb network vandalism, cable theft and infrastructure tampering.
In that period, 63 suspects linked to various crimes of theft and vandalism of City Power infrastructure were arrested, says the utility, adding that of these cases, 11 resulted in convictions during the quarter, while several other cases remain under investigation and in the court process.
“We are continuing to deploy advanced surveillance technology and collaborate with law enforcement agencies and residents to strengthen the protection of strategic assets across the city,” it says.
“We have activated several key programmes to further strengthen performance in the coming quarters. These include the trading reform strategy, which aims to restore the entity’s profitability; Project Lokisa, which focuses on revenue collection and billing accuracy; and a comprehensive technical audit of large power users to ensure fair and accurate billing.”
Seeking stability
The entity is also enhancing its revenue protection measures, fast-tracking the replacement of faulty meters, and tightening enforcement against illegal connections and non-paying customers, it says.
The organisation, under the leadership of CEO Tshifularo Mashava, has emphasised that this quarter reflects a period of consolidation rather than slowing down. This is part of the strategic phase aimed at laying a more stable and financially sustainable foundation for growth.
“This first quarter was more about reinforcing our foundations, strengthening our systems, tightening our revenue controls, cleaning up the entity of criminal elements, and improving the reliability of our network. We are investing in the right areas to ensure every improvement we make today translates into lasting stability for Johannesburg’s power supply,” says Mashava.
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