Cable theft has residents seeing red

Illegal electricity connections are costing the City of Ekurhuleni R800 million a year in unaccounted-for electricity. File photo: Zanele Zulu

Illegal electricity connections are costing the City of Ekurhuleni R800 million a year in unaccounted-for electricity. File photo: Zanele Zulu

Published Aug 11, 2015

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Durban - Rampant electricity theft in Pietermaritzburg’s Copesville area has residents seething, as their electricity bills skyrocket and exposed power connections threaten their safety.

Chris Sivepersad, of Satinspar Drive, said residents of the Swapo informal settlement that borders Copesville regularly hacked into his power lines and stole electricity.

“The other day my 3-year old grandson almost stepped on one of these exposed lines running through our back garden. It has become a nightmare. These people have no regard for other people’s property or safety,” Sivepersad said.

Another resident, Sigamoney Reddy, said his electricity bill had gone from R1 200 a month to R3 000 a month due to electricity theft.

“I cannot afford this. I am a pensioner. I am so worried about whether my power is going to be cut off because of this,” Reddy said, adding that when he confronted the electricity thieves about stealing his power, his life was threatened.

Combating electricity theft and electrifying informal settlements remained a priority for the Msunduzi Municipality, after several deaths were reported as a result of the illegal connections.

In January, Mthobisi Mokoena, 23, was electrocuted in the Swapo informal settlement in Copesville when he stepped on an illegal connection. A municipal task team was established to fight electricity theft.

The municipality also increased efforts to electrify informal settlements as quickly as possible because of the increased loss of life as a result of illegal connections.

According to the auditor-general’s report for 2011/12, illegal electricity connections by residents of informal settlements cost the municipality more than R90 million a year.

This led the city council to approve plans to electrify all informal settlements around Pietermaritzburg, with a budget of R22.3m being set aside for the project.

The roll-out was launched last year in the Ezinketheni informal settlement in Copesville, but electricity theft continued unabated.

A source at the municipality said the city was fighting a losing battle, because no sooner had technicians disconnected the illegal connections, than thieves reconnected them.

The mayor, in his state of the city address last month, confirmed that 962 homes had been electrified and 12 transformers installed in Swapo.

Daily News

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