City Power has hired 52 new in-house electricians to lessen the utility's reliance on contractors.

It will employ an additional 248 electricians by 2023.

Environment, Infrastructure and Social Development MMC Michael Sun said that in the 2021/22 financial year, the City of Johannesburg spent R800-million on contractors for City Power, with 70% of the amount spent on labour and 30% on the materials.

"It should be the other way around. We must be cost conscious and spend the money where it is needed."

He added that many of the contractors were good, and that they would be kept on the City's books. However, some were taking advantage, he added. For example, he said, the City could pay as much as R2 000 to a contractor who went out to assess an issue.

"So, they come back and tell us that a cable has been stolen. And if we get thousands of these callouts a month, you can imagine the cost [just to tell us a cable has been stolen]. There have also been instances where contractors go to the community and say: 'The City doesn't have the part we need, but if you give me cash, we can make a plan,'" he said.

Sun said he anticipated that the decision wouldn't be welcomed by the contractors.

The electricians, he said, would be deployed to specific sections of the grid and in communities where they live.

"So, the community gets to know the people working in their area, and if anything goes wrong in that area, we know that that electrician did not do their work."

He recognised that the City was taking on a big responsibility but added that they have to ensure team leaders are held accountable for employees. The team leaders will also be able to help the electricians, who sometimes face dangerous conditions. Employing its own electricians means that City Power needs to have the infrastructure to support them.

"[On Wednesday] one of our City Power officials was assaulted in the inner city. He is traumatised. An electrician is now like a fireman or a policeman. Their work is dangerous"

His message to the new electricians was, "Go out and service the residents and ensure every fault is repaired. This will get us a step closer to bringing the city to a better space and a step closer to being a great city."

Meanwhile, in November, the City had to negotiate with fleet rental contractors Afrirent and Avis Fleet to prevent the two companies from removing thousands of their vehicles from the City's possession.

Sun said the solution would be for each department to have its own fleet contract.

"We will decentralise the fleet management so City Power will have its own fleet. So if there's a problem, it doesn't affect any of the other department vehicles."