Johannesburg - City Power was forced to abandon its electricity disconnection operation after the situation in Jeppe almost turned ugly after journalists were pepper-sprayed by residents of one of the hijacked buildings whose power was cut off yesterday morning.
The operation came after the municipal-run power utility claimed the city was owed more than R13 million by three buildings hijacked by syndicates.
Spokesperson for City Power Isaac Mangena said the power company was ramping up revenue collection efforts due to the increasing hijacking of buildings and non-payment for services.
He said some of the buildings had not been paying for electricity for more than seven years, with some having last paid for the service in 2016.
“City Power is ramping up revenue collection efforts and as a result, the actions of those who hijack buildings are not different from the illegal connectors who put pressure on our electricity network and further hinder revenue recovery efforts. Illegal connection of electricity is theft and should be treated as such by conducting this operation which will be supported by the law-enforcement agency,” Mangena said before the crackdown.
One of the buildings targeted by the utility and affected by the disconnection saw its residents threaten officials.
The residents argued that they were paying rent and electricity to an agent who runs the building on 28 Betty Street.
Resident Thulani Nzimande said residents had recently taken it upon themselves to clean and take care of the building after their landlords vanished when they confronted them on their illegally connected power supply.
“We have been buying prepaid electricity for months, but City Power is telling us we are not paying for electricity. This can only mean that the owners of this building are not paying their municipal bill. We were told that the owners of the building who have been collecting are the ones who have installed an illegal prepaid system,” he said.
Another resident who declined to be named said that they had been made to suffer for the city’s failure to track down the owners of the building who collected rental fees without paying for bills. “We did not hijack this building. They must speak to the owners and not subject us to power cuts,” the resident said.
Another resident Nokuthula Maphosa, from Ladysmith, added that the power cuts were retaliation for their action against the Nigerian and Ghanaian landlords who had been benefiting from rental fees.
“These people must pay their debt of R3 million, we will pay our own debts as residents. It is not as if we are unable or refuse to pay. We already pay R3 000R4 000, but the city refuses to give us better accommodation,” Maphosa added.
Without electricity, Maphosa said that it would be difficult to take care of her children who attended school.
“We will not be able to send our children to school. How are we going to bathe and cook for them without electricity?” she asked.
Mangena said that following the operation, City Power would return to the streets to clamp down on other hijacked buildings with a better complement of public order policing team who were not part of yesterday’s operation which almost turned ugly.
The Star