Power thief gets eight years imprisonment

The long arm of the law snatched a thief who tampered with the city’s essential electricity infrastructure.

Mxolisi Hlatshwayo (29) was sentenced to eight years imprisonment by the Vosloorus Magistrate’s Court on February 1 for tampering with the city’s essential electricity infrastructure.
According to metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, city officials caught Hlatshwayo on June 30, 2022, tampering with cables in a mini substation containing meters in Klipportjie, Boksburg.

“At the time, one meter had already been bridged and removed from the facility.
“When confronted about his actions, Hlatshwayo had no satisfactory response, forcing the municipal officials, who caught him red-handed, to report the matter to the Dawn Park SAPS. A case of tampering with essential electricity infrastructure was opened, and Hlatshwayo was arrested and later convicted and sentenced,” explained Dlamini.
The city hails the court’s judgment as a vital milestone and achievement in energy revenue and essential infrastructure protection.
“This is a great milestone that sends a clear message to all those stealing municipal infrastructure that it is a matter of time before they are arrested and sent to jail.

“Tampering with essential infrastructure is a major problem for the city. Some people bridge meters while others steal the cables and other electricity gear, leaving people in the dark for days.
“Sadly, we have people who rely on electricity for survival because of health conditions, and these actions endanger their lives, too,” said Dlamini.

Dlamini pointed out that the city has a serious problem with illegal connections done by electricity thieves with know-how of electricity issues, putting innocent lives at risk.
The city appeals to the public to assist in the fight against thieves targeting municipal infrastructure.
It urges the public to report any criminal activities they see on the city’s essential electricity infrastructure by calling the call centre on 0860 543 000 or using the city’s social media pages – X @City_Ekurhuleni; Facebook – City of Ekurhuleni.

Besieged
In another electricity theft-related story, the management at Balmoral College has, for a long time, raised concerns about the tangle of illegally connected exposed live wires endangering the lives of learners in the vicinity of the school.

The web of live cables, illegally supplying power to the nearby informal settlement, hangs from the poles and trees, causing a hazard to pedestrians, motorists, and the settlement’s residents.
The school said they repeatedly reported the hazard to the metro, but nothing has changed.

The principal reportedly approached senior officials at the energy department to attend to the problem but did not get any joy from them.
She lamented the lack of interest by authorities who kept giving excuses for not dealing with the connectors who repeatedly carry out their thefts unabated.

The metro has not yet responded to our request for comment on this power theft. However, this publication understands that a few years ago, the department had repeatedly removed the cables, but the connectors would immediately reconnect after the officials had left the area.

Also Read: Illegal connections leave many communities in the dark