Cape Town - Illegal electricity connections remain a problem in Cape Town and has cost the City of Cape Town just under R17m in the 2015/2016 financial year.
At the weekend, residents in parts of Joe Slovo near Milnerton were without power for most of the weekend due to illegal connections.
Ward councillor in the area, Tando Jafta said illegal connections were a problem in many informal settlements and Joe Slovo was no exception.
“There is a lot of it here in Joe Slovo, I get a lot of those complaints.” Jafta said he would follow up on these complaints.
The city’s electricity services department said illegal connections lead to circuit breakers being tripped because of the overload on the grid.
Mayco member for utility services Ernest Sonnenberg said the connections were often as a result of residents who settled on land that could not be legally electrified. “There are many areas in the city that are adversely affected by illegal connections, such as Lwandle, Imizamo Yethu, Joe Slovo and Kewtown, to name but a few.
“The by-passing of meters is widespread throughout the city. Illegal connections are made via overhead mains and tapping into underground low-voltage cables.
“The problem is compounded by illegal structures erected over the route (in sidewalks) of these cables, which makes it difficult for the Electricity Services Department field staff to access the faulty service cables.
“Illegal connections overload the network which was not designed to accommodate this additional load, resulting in nuisance-tripping for legal payingconsumers who are unnecessarily inconvenienced.”
Sonnenberg emphasised an illegal electricity connection was a crime and posed a danger to those who did the connection, as well as those using the illegally connected electricity.
He added the danger involved in electricity theft was exposure to live conductors, which could result in electrocution.
Last week, a 17-year-old died in Philippi while connecting electricity illegally. The teenager was electrocuted when he climbed an electricity pole and tried to switch on the supply.
“The city appeals to residents to discontinue this practice as the constant repairs and replacement of damaged infrastructure is diverting funds away from the development of these communities. The city receives reports of cable theft and vandalism daily from some areas.”
Contravention notices in respect of bypassing and tampering are issued for amounts ranging between R5 400 and R109 000, depending on the size of the supplied installation.
Residents are encouraged to report all illegal connections and meter tampering to the city’s call centre, by phoning 0860 103 089 or by sending an SMS to 31220.
Cape Argus