City Power launches urgent bid to declare Hawks raid unlawful

City Power has lodged an urgent court interdict against the Hawks following a search and seizure operation at its offices last week.

The power utility claims the operation was unlawful and is seeking to have both the warrant and any materials seized set aside.

It’s understood the raid relates to an irregular R67 million tender for transformers.

The matter is set to be heard next Tuesday in the High Court in Johannesburg, and the Hawks have until the end of Tuesday to respond.

City Power alleges that Hawks officials acted improperly during recent visits, including one in August, which reportedly took place without a valid warrant.

City Power Spokesperson Isaac Mangena, “The matter dates back to November 2024 when we received a request for information which we have actually obliged to and assisted in terms of responding to that request. A different set of investigating officers then later approved the utility with the same inquiry and staged a media spectacle in the process which we see as trying to embarrass the entity and its leadership, raising concerns about the motive and also duplication of resources for certain gains, and procedural irregularities.”