A 17-year-old girl has been raped, allegedly by a man posing as an Ekurhuleni municipality official.

Police have now issued a warning to residents as they fear that more women could fall victim to the crime as more than 60 were raped by men using a similar modus operandi between 2012 and last year.

Police said 68 cases were reported to them over the past seven years in which men pretending to be employees of the municipality or Eskom went to certain houses and claimed they were there to check water or electricity meters and would rape the occupant.

Police spokesperson Raider Ubisi said in the latest incident, the matric pupil was alone in the house at Mina Nawe, near Putfontein, when a man arrived pretending to be a municipal official. He said the man told the girl that he was there to collect meter readings just after her father left for work on Wednesday.

Ubisi said this was the first case to be opened this year.

"We have had a challenge of what we suspect to be a gang of serial rapists using the strategy to take advantage of young and older women in their homes between 2012 and 2019," said Ubisi.

Ubisi said last year a rapist linked to multiple rapes in the Gabon, Zenzele, Mayfield, Daveyton townships east of Benoni was arrested.

"The trend then died down. Unfortunately this week, it [resurfaced] as a teenager became a victim," he said.

The teenager who spoke to Sowetan in the presence of her family yesterday said the incident has changed her life.

"He arrived around 8am just about 30 minutes after my dad left for work. He asked where the meter was. He went around the house then returned and asked me to let him in so he can check inside the house," she said.

"Before I knew it, he turned towards me and asked why I looked scared. I then said it's because I'm not comfortable opening [the door] for strangers because my dad forgot to lock the gate.

"He then laughed and pushed me into the bedroom where he locked the door and instructed me to take a blanket, put it on the floor and lie down," she said.

She said the man raped her repeatedly.

"He hurt me then just got up and told me not to move. He said he was friends with OVL gangsters that are known to terrorise the community. He then told me the name of my school and said if I report the rape, he would come back to kill me."

The family said they would move her elsewhere as they feared for her safety.

The teen's extended family said they are giving her all needed support and have moved her for safety.

City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gadebe said the city was aware that over the years there were individuals who have been using its name to perform their criminal activities.

"We urge all residents to do an identity test to anyone who arrives at their homes claiming to be municipal officials."

Gadebe said residents should make sure the individual or individuals are in branded uniform, in a branded vehicle, have name badges and they produce cards with their photos, employment number and have the city's embroidery badge.