City Power chief executive Tshifularo Mashava will leave the municipal utility at the end of March, bringing to a close a ten-year association with the entity, including four years at its helm. Mashava submitted her resignation last week, citing plans to pursue personal and professional interests beyond the organisation.
Her departure follows a period of scrutiny that included a raid on City Power’s headquarters by the Hawks in mid-2025. Investigators had indicated that charges could be considered, although the National Prosecuting Authority later stated that the matter was not ready to proceed to court. City Power has maintained that an independent forensic probe commissioned by its board cleared Mashava and other executives of allegations including nepotism, irregular appointments and internal control failures.
During her tenure, the utility reports improvements in operational performance. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said performance indicators rose from roughly 42% in earlier years to above 80% in recent reporting cycles. The entity attributes this to internal reforms, including a clean-up campaign that identified collusion between contractors and staff, resulting in contract suspensions, blacklisting of service providers and disciplinary action against employees.
Mashava is also credited with advancing storage and generation initiatives expected to add 50 megawatts of capacity, alongside upgrades to billing systems and metering infrastructure. These projects were introduced as part of broader efforts to stabilise supply in Johannesburg amid ongoing national power constraints.
According to City Power, the board formally cleared the outgoing chief executive in October after reviewing findings from an independent forensic investigation. The Auditor-General’s latest report similarly found no material evidence of wrongdoing linked to the utility’s executive leadership.
Mashava indicated in her resignation correspondence that progress achieved during her tenure was the result of collective effort. Her exit comes at a time when municipal utilities face mounting financial and operational pressures, with leadership continuity seen as central to maintaining service delivery and governance standards.