City Power slams Hawks' raid as 'abuse of power' after court rules warrant unlawful

Johannesburg City Power has slammed the Hawks’ recent raid of its headquarters, labelling it a blatant abuse of power and an act of recklessness, after the Gauteng High Court ruled the search warrant was unlawful.

The crime-fighting unit conducted a search-and-seizure operation at the utility’s offices last month as part of its ongoing investigation into suspected irregular contracts.

However, the High Court found the warrant obtained by the Hawks was defective and ruled the raid was unlawful on Friday.

City Power argued in court that the warrant was vague and failed to clearly outline the purpose of the operation.

The judge ultimately ruled that the affidavit supporting the search warrant for City Power’s headquarters failed to present any prima facie evidence of wrongdoing.

The Hawks launched a large-scale investigation in November last year, focusing on several contracts at City Power that are believed to be irregular and are reportedly valued at more than half a billion rand.

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The Hawks’ most recent raid at City Power was specifically linked to a R64 million contract for the supply of electricity transformers that were allegedly never delivered.

City Power's spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, confirmed the utility will continue to cooperate with the investigation but stated that it would not allow itself to be mistreated by the Hawks.

“However, what transpired under the guise of a lawful operation was nothing short of an abuse of power and a reckless disregard for established legal principles,” Mangena said.

“The court’s decision today [Friday] sends a strong message that no authority, no matter how powerful, is above the law.”