The metro is losing a whopping R36-million per annum to illegal electricity connections.
This is money that could ideally be channelled towards service delivery projects.
In a bid to address this huge problem, the metro has embarked on a campaign to educate communities on the adverse effects of illegal connections.
Member of the mayoral committee for water and energy, Clr Aubrey Nxumalo, accompanied by the Red Ant Security Services, members of the SAPS and EMPD, recently visited the Dukathole informal settlement in the hope of educating residents on the financial and social costs that the illegal connections have on the metro and its people.
It is estimated that there are over 14 000 illegal connections in the metro, currently.
These connections are causing excessive strain on the local power supply and, as a result, the power infrastructure is slowly being destroyed.
The connections also pose a danger to unsuspecting children and other members of the community, while slowly crippling the local economy and reducing job opportunities that could be created in the power sector.
“Infrastructure damage due to illegal connections is evident in areas like KwaThema Extension Three, where an overhead transformer was replaced nine times in 2011,” Nxumalo said.
“Today we want to educate the community of Ekurhuleni about the risks involved in illegal connections.
“At the same time we are preparing the community for a major law enforcement operation that is to follow within the next few weeks – focusing on disconnecting illegal connections.
“We need to develop our city and we cannot afford to lose millions of Rand to illegal connections.
“Perpetrators of illegal connections have a few weeks to get their houses in order, because phase two will not only be the removal of illegally connected cables, but offenders will be arrested.”
This education effort will continue throughout the metro with Thokoza, Edenvale, Springs, Benoni and Boksburg to follow.
The campaign was launched on September 23.
