The City of Ekurhuleni Mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, announced during his State of the City Address on March 27 that the fee for replacing stolen service cables has been scrapped.

“We directed the officials to scrap the stolen service connection cable charge of R1 500 excluding VAT,” said Xhakaza during his address.

This fee has been a subject of contention among residents for months.

Residents have been vocal about the decision to impose a R1 725 charge for the replacement of stolen service connection cables, arguing that it was unreasonable to hold consumers financially responsible for infrastructure theft.

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Furthermore, residents raised concerns that the city does not allow them to secure these cables, as they are city property.

On a number of occasions, residents have been left in the dark because they could not afford to pay the fee to have the stolen cables replaced. The city has been actively addressing issues related to electricity theft and illegal connections.

In September 2024, the municipality introduced a rehabilitation incentive, allowing households with illegal connections to regularize their status without facing penalties, aiming to improve revenue collection and reduce electricity theft.

“I am saddened to inform council that, so far this financial year, we have removed 25 950 illegal connections, which indicates the depth of the electricity theft crisis in the region,” said the mayor.

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