To date, over 17 000 electricity connections have been removed since the drive started over two months ago.
On Friday, last week, the illegal connection team, comprising the Red Ant Security Services, CPI (Combined Private Investigators), the EMPD’s Cable Theft Unit and Public Order Policing Unit, SAPS and the municipality’s Energy Department visited the Zama Zama and Peter Mokaba informal settlements in Extension 28, Vosloorus, to remove illegally connected cables.
The campaign has been to Mkhankwa Village, near Ergo in Brakpan, Langaville Extension Six and Eight, Mpilisweni in Thokoza, Ramaphosa in Reiger Park, KwaThema Extension Three and Six, the KwaThema Hostel and Daggafontein, in Springs.
Other parts of Ekurhuleni will be visited in the next two months.
The illegal connection of electricity is a major problem which has seen the municipality losing a whopping R36-million per annum due to illegal electricity connections.
This translates to losses of between R2.8-m to R4.9-m, which the metro suffers per month.
This is money which could otherwise be channelled towards service delivery projects.
In a bid to address this huge loss, the metro embarked on a month-long education in campaign, in September, to educate the communities about the adverse effects of illegal connections, where over 30 000 illegal connections were identified.
The campaign has entered its second leg, where the actual removal of illegal connections is being carried out.
“In spite of the dangers associated with illegally connecting electricity and the fact that this practice destroys the economy and reduces work opportunities, as well as destroying power infrastructure, the practice is still rife, especially in informal settlements,” said metro spokesperson Sam Modiba.
Modiba pointed out that four children were killed in Dukathole, near Germiston, as a result of illegal connections earlier this year, and a 42-year-old KwaThema man was electrocuted while trying to steal electricity, last month.
“We are appealing to community members to help us fight illegal connections by reporting such incidents to our emergency call taking centre on 0860 543 000,” he said.
The metro is currently rolling out solar energy lighting to identified households in Ekurhuleni’s informal settlements, for which no short or medium term plans are in place for relocation or upgrading.
The 10Watt solar lighting unit consists of a solar panel, a battery control box and four LED lights.
The solar panel is positioned on top of the roof, but cannot be stolen, because it is built in from inside the house.
The lifespan of the battery is three to five years.
