The City of Ekurhuleni revealed that it lost R1.2-billion to electricity theft in the City for the 2019/20 financial year alone.
In response to the theft, described as a silent crime, metro spokesperson Themba Gadebe said the City has designed an anti-electricity theft campaign to intensify efforts to fight the scourge of illegal electricity connections in Ekurhuleni.
“This campaign aims to remove all the illegal connections in the CoE electrical grid, and to sensitise communities about the dangers of illegal connections that are currently done on our electrical grid. Illegal connections are costly and are a silent crime in our City.
“Ekurhuleni’s electrical infrastructure is being butchered daily by electricity thieves who vandalise the grid. Aerial bundle conductors (ABC) are the conductors of choice to illegal connectors in informal settlements to connect to the electrical grid.
“These connections are unsafe and undermine the efforts of the department to supply a safe, reliable and uninterrupted power supply to the consumers of the CoE.
“Based on values as contained in the energy balance of the City, monetary losses resulting from non-technical losses (illegal connections, bypassed meters and so forth) are reportedly R1.2-b for the 2019/20 financial year,” said Gadebe.
The City pointed out that it has removed illegal connections in many areas on numerous occasions, and it still continues as the community keeps connecting illegally daily.
“Arrests have been done, but no successful convictions have been achieved.”
Power theft persists in Ekurhuleni
In the City, the spate of power theft persists, despite the metro’s many initiatives designed to combat and dismantle it.
In Boksburg, resident of Lilianton Roger Crawford recently complained that he had been for a long time trying to get the municipality to decisively deal with illegal connections on Main Reef Road, adjacent Balmoral Liquor Store, and in many nearby informal settlements.
He accused officials of closing their eyes to the problem, and after many unsuccessful attempts to get the problem in Lilianton attended to, he penned a letter of complaint, which he addressed to the City’s leaders, including Ekurhuleni mayor Clr Mzwandile Masina.
Letter of Complaint
Good Morning Clr Mzwandile Masina
As stated previously in an email to the Mayor and CoE executive management, I am addressing this email specifically to you for your attention and corrective actions as all other available avenues within the CoE have been exhausted. Eskom advised that CoE is responsible for addressing illegal connections as CoE manages its own power infrastructure separate from Eskom.
To date, the executive and senior management have taken the decision not to address this large-scale illegal connection. The key focus of addressing illegal connections is the preservation of life given that curious children will come into contact with these live wires and will be fatally injured; thus a critical OHS hazard.
The DoE&L principal chief inspector has remained silent in all reported breaches of the OHS Act 1993 and the DoE&L is also negligent due to their inaction. The hierarchy of quality OHS principles call for engineering controls to be implemented to eliminate the possibility of reconnecting illegal cables at the substation. CoE has the means to achieve elimination of the problem, though it is lacking in directives to staff to achieve elimination.
Some engineering control examples include but not limited to hard casing of the substation housing, underground concrete barriers, high security enclosure to reduce the potential to reach the substation, high security impregnable locks with enclosed shackles with a registered key system and access control measures to substation keys.
It is widely reported and alleged that CoE Energy Department employees are complicit in the commission of illegal connections, facilitating access to substations, cabling and the disconnection of live high voltage cabling at substations in order for illegal connections to be commissioned without the perpetrators being electrocuted. Once connections are applied power is restored.
It is further reported and alleged that the mayor has issued a directive not to address large-scale illegal connections as it is politically unpalatable. Please review the contents of this email and immediately address this complaint to ensure that no child is fatally injured.
Should no corrective action be immediately forthcoming then the next option is to launch a police case, compelling the DoE&L and mayor to take action. I await your response and corrective action plan to eliminate this issue at this specific site.
Other emails will follow, outlining other locations of illegal connections for your immediate action.
Kind Regards
Roger Crawford
Remain the City’s ears and eyes
Despite all these, residents are still urged to remain the City’s ears and eyes and report illegal power connections or suspicion of illegal connection activities through the municipal call centre on 086 054 3000.
Also Read: Watch: Violent confrontation erupts in Reiger Park over illegal electricity connections
