Community leaders from Delmore informal settlement were forced to visit the energy department in Boksburg North on July 14 after the department failed to respond within their seven-day response period.
This comes after residents from Delmore and Ulana informal settlements embarked on a peaceful march on June 22 to the metro’s energy department in Boksburg North to ask for prepaid electricity meters.
They handed over a memorandum and demanded that the municipality responds to their petition within seven days.
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According to one of the community leaders, Sizwe Hlatswayo, they resorted to going to the energy department offices because they haven?t heard anything from the officials since the community handed over the memorandum.
Speaking to the Advertiser outside the energy department after the meeting, the leaders said they were told the official who accepted the memorandum on June 22 was not at work.
“The person we spoke to promised he will get back to us later on because he still needs to find out from the official who accepted the memorandum regarding the progress of the matter,” Hlatswayo said.
He highlighted that they were not contacted again as promised, but officials came to the area to reconnect the illegal electricity after it tripped.
“We will continue to appeal to the municipality so that they can install prepaid meters so we can stop illegal connections in the area. If they don’t take us seriously then we will be forced to close the main roads in and around the area until they respond,” Hlatswayo said.
Ekurhuleni metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said: “Ulana informal settlement is the beneficiary community of the Balmoral Extension Four project being implemented and energy will be installed at the completion of the project.”
Gadebe stated the energy department can only electrify a re-blocked settlement provided those beneficiaries are not earmarked for any other development.
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