City Power has opened a criminal case after what it describes as a forged investigation letter allegedly linked to the department of home affairs surfaced, triggering fears of identity fraud, cybercrime and an orchestrated attempt to damage the utility’s reputation.
According to the Johannesburg power utility, a document began circulating in the media purportedly showing that City Power acting CEO Charles Tlouane had formally requested the department of home affairs to investigate several individuals and service providers connected to the entity.
City Power insists the letter is fraudulent and says someone may have impersonated its acting CEO in an apparent attempt to manufacture a damaging narrative involving identity fraud, citizenship irregularities, procurement corruption and criminal misconduct.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility treated the matter with “the utmost seriousness” because of the potentially severe legal, reputational, governance and cybersecurity implications flowing from falsified correspondence purporting to originate from the entity.
“The document seems to have been forged to create a false narrative that will discredit certain former and current contractors and employees,” Mangena said.
According to Mangena, the suspicious document appears to have been sent directly to the director-general of the department of home affairs by an individual allegedly pretending to be Tlouane.
The utility warned that the alleged fabrication falsely created the impression that City Power itself had initiated a sensitive criminal probe involving allegations of identity fraud, citizenship irregularities and procurement corruption.
City Power believes the forged document may also be linked to an already volatile corruption and extortion case involving a former contractor and suspended employees.
While the utility did not disclose the identities of the individuals allegedly implicated in the wider dispute, it suggested the document may have been deliberately crafted to discredit certain current and former contractors as well as employees connected to the organisation.
The controversy now threatens to deepen tensions around allegations of corruption and internal battles at the embattled municipal power entity, which has in recent years faced scrutiny over governance failures, procurement disputes and operational instability.
Mangena confirmed that Tlouane formally opened a criminal case with the South African Police Service on Tuesday relating to the allegations including impersonation, identity fraud, cyber fraud and document falsification.
“The matter has been referred to the relevant law enforcement authorities for further investigation and to bring the perpetrators to book,” said Mangena.
City Power has also approached the department of home affairs seeking urgent verification about the legitimacy of individuals who allegedly presented themselves as investigators and contacted the utility regarding the matter.
We have opened a criminal case and initiated the necessary engagements with law enforcement authorities and the department of home affairs to establish the full facts surrounding this matter.
— Charles Tlouane, City Power acting CEO
The utility further requested confirmation about whether home affairs had authorised or initiated any investigation connected to the allegations contained in the disputed document.
Mangena said legitimate investigations between government institutions would ordinarily be communicated through recognised intergovernmental channels and not through questionable correspondence.
“Should any legitimate investigation exist, we would reasonably expect such processes to be formally communicated through those recognised institutional channels, and we will assist in such a probe,” he said.
Tlouane said City Power would not allow criminal conduct or fake documentation to undermine public confidence in the institution.
“City Power takes allegations of fraud, identity misrepresentation, cybercrime, and document falsification extremely seriously,” he said.
“We have opened a criminal case and initiated the necessary engagements with law enforcement authorities and the department of home affairs to establish the full facts surrounding this matter.”
He also warned against the spread of unverified information, saying reckless circulation of unconfirmed documents could compromise legitimate investigations and mislead the public.
“We caution against the circulation of unverified documents and reaffirm our commitment to transparency, accountability and lawful governance,” Tlouane said.
“Any staff member who may be found to be implicated in this matter will face internal disciplinary process.”
The allegations come at a time when state entities and municipalities are increasingly grappling with sophisticated cyber-related crimes, including impersonation scams, forged communications and digital fraud schemes targeting both public institutions and private companies.
Cybersecurity experts have repeatedly warned that fraudulent letters carrying official branding or executive names can be used to manipulate public perception, settle internal scores or trigger reputational harm before their authenticity is properly tested.
For City Power, the emergence of the disputed home affairs letter raises difficult questions not only about who may have authored it, but also about whether the incident forms part of a broader campaign linked to existing tensions inside the organisation.
The utility urged members of the public, stakeholders and media organisations to exercise caution before sharing or relying on unverified material connected to the matter.
City Power warned that premature conclusions based on potentially falsified documents risked prejudicing ongoing investigations and damaging innocent individuals.
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