Residents of Johannesburg are reporting widespread extortion by employees and contractors of City Power and Eskom, the city’s electricity utilities. Individuals are allegedly being threatened with electricity cut-offs unless they pay additional, often substantial, fees despite already covering their power costs through taxes and rates. Reports indicate this issue transcends socioeconomic boundaries, affecting residents across the city. The extortion schemes involve demands for money to avoid service disruption, exploiting residents’ reliance on electricity. Daily Maverick is responding to these reports by creating a platform for residents to report incidents and fight back against the practice. The investigation highlights a growing problem of corruption and abuse of power within the electricity sector.