By Johnathan Paoli
The alleged mastermind behind a multimillion-rand illegal electricity reconnection syndicate at the Emfuleni Local Municipality has been arrested, with police saying the eighth suspect was taken into custody shortly after being released on bail in an unrelated matter.
The woman was re-arrested by the Gauteng Political Killings Task Team (PKTT) on Thursday as investigations into an alleged network involving municipal employees and contractors widened.
SAPS national spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the suspect was believed to be the mastermind behind the illegal electricity connections and theft of critical infrastructure at the municipality.
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“She is expected to make her first appearance in court on Monday, 07 September 2026, facing charges of theft, damage to and theft of critical infrastructure, and money laundering,” Mathe said.
The arrest follows seven other accused appearing in the Vanderbijlpark Magistrate’s Court as they seek bail in the alleged cash-for-reconnection scheme.
The latest suspect’s arrest is part of an investigation into an alleged syndicate that exploited electricity disconnections by the cash-strapped municipality, which governs large parts of the Vaal region.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the alleged scheme operated between February 2024 and June 2026.
Residents and businesses whose electricity had been disconnected because of outstanding municipal accounts were allegedly approached by members of the network and offered illegal reconnections in exchange for payment.
Gauteng NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana said the accused allegedly defrauded the municipality by reconnecting customers whose electricity had been cut off.
“What they will allegedly do is approach those unsuspecting individuals and promise to reconnect their electricity at a cost, so they were defrauding the municipality by reconnecting electricity for complainants whose accounts were shut by the municipality,” Mahanjana said.
The seven initial suspects include David Senekal, the son of former Freedom Front Plus Emfuleni councillor Gerda Senekal, Andries Maduna, Caroline Maduna, Kenneth Mahobe, Hlawutelo Baloyi, Pule Masilo, and Sibusiso Tshabalala.
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They face charges including fraud, theft, money laundering and tampering with essential infrastructure.
Police arrested the suspects on 21 and 23 August during a PKTT takedown operation following an internal municipal investigation and subsequent police probe.
The accused allegedly manipulated municipal records to make it appear that customers had reduced their outstanding balances, while their actual debts remained unchanged.
Although the accounts could later revert to the original amounts, the electricity supply allegedly remained connected as a result of the unlawful reconnections.
The municipality has estimated its losses from the alleged scheme at about R8.3 million. The seven accused also face a theft charge involving an alleged R150,000.
The NPA has opposed bail for the seven accused.
