Durban - A CHATSWORTH businessman has allegedly been stealing electricity from the eThekwini Municipality’s distribution board (DB) at the Fragrance Street Market in Chatsworth.
Other traders alleged that the trader, whose name is being withheld until the city concludes its investigation, was working in cahoots with a manager at the city’s business support unit and markets department to consume electricity at the ratepayers’ expense.
The SA Informal Traders’ Forum (SAITF) in KwaZulu-Natal condemned any misuse of public funds. SAITF provincial representative Keith Pillay has called for the municipality to investigate how this particular business “enjoyed” free power connection while other traders had meter boxes in their stalls.
“It cannot be that the informal traders have been waiting for years to have metered power boxes installed at their stalls and continue to wait for lawfully metered electricity, while these formal businesses that have recently moved into the retail markets have free unmetered access to electricity paid for by the ratepayer. We ask that the eThekwini Municipality ensure that all the officials and any other individuals involved in the matter be brought to book for the alleged usages,” Pillay said.
At least two traders, who asked not to be named, have since reported the matter to the City’s Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU).
They claimed that nothing had been done about the matter and that the perpetrator was still trading with the unlawful connection.
A trail of emails between one of the complainants and a CIIU forensic investigator, Roslyn Sookdeo, revealed that the matter had been reported to the city and the connection was found to be “unauthorised”.
The traders questioned why there were delays in resolving the matter when the CIIU had found that the connection was unauthorised.
Daily News