Ward 75 councillor Sannie Mavhona has raised concerns about illegal electricity connections in her ward, warning that they are harming residents of Alexandra.

Speaking at a community meeting on Wednesday evening at the 8th Avenue Alex Multipurpose Centre, Mavhona told stakeholders and residents that the ward is struggling with frequent power outages.

“We have a problem with electricity tripping time and again. Sometimes it even affects phase 2 and phase 3. City Power is aware of this, and I know they have answers.”

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She confirmed that the utility has been working with her to address these issues, including tackling illegal connections, which she stressed are inconveniencing residents. “But we would like City Power to come up with a clear plan.”

Her remarks came as City Power unveiled an aggressive winter intervention strategy aimed at curbing rampant meter bypasses and unauthorised wiring, which officials warn could push the local electricity network toward collapse.

Representatives revealed that only a small fraction of residents in the ward are currently buying electricity, and this leaves revenue critically low and insufficient to fund repairs to damaged transformers and mini-substations, among others.

Residents were told that illegal connections cause overloading, which damages cables and triggers widespread outages, particularly when bypassed meters coincide with high demand.

Officials warned that the power utility may have to implement two-hour rotating load reductions during peak evening hours to ease strain on infrastructure.

As winter approaches, the looming threat of constant power outages due to network overload is also getting closer.

Also read: Damaged transformer leaves Setswetla residents relying on illegal connections

Residents have repeatedly raised concerns that during the cold of winter they find themselves without electricity because of illegal connections. However, the utility’s winter plan seeks to address the issue by removing illegal connections in Alexandra, especially in Ward 75.

Officials said, although reconnections might be inevitable, they will not sit and fold their arms.

Furthermore, they said they continue to face a pushback when it comes to meter installations, but will continue to work with the police to enforce compliance.

Mavhona also updated residents on lighting projects in her ward. “We are busy with Apollo lights. I think we have already completed the work in phase 2. Next week, phase 2 will be properly lit.”

She added that plans are underway to install a similar high-mast light in phase 3, although a suitable location has not yet been confirmed.

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