Illegal connections endangers residents in Wesselton
Communities in Wesselton have no service delivery whatsoever, meaning they do not have access to housing, sewage and electricity so they have taken matters into their own hands by climbing poles to connect households.
Illegal connections are a norm in townships with Wesselton one of many townships connected illegally.
Informal settlements such as Ethembeni, Nkanini and Jikeleza, just to name a few, have no electricity leaving them in darkness and it is a breeding ground for Izinyoka Nyoka, people who steal electrical cables and electricity.
These communities have no service delivery whatsoever, meaning they do not have access to housing, sewage and electricity.
This has seen members of the community taking matters in their own hands, climbing poles to connect households.
Also read: Eskom warns against illegal electrical connections
The matter was brought to the fore after a woman died last week from electrocution in Ethembeni.
According to a resident, the woman had no shoes on and was connecting a power line from a nearby connected house when she was electrocuted, dying on the spot.
This has led leaders to intervene as it is not just “izinyoka nyoka” doing the connections anymore, but ordinary citizens.
One leader condemned these illegal connections, but lamented that his hands are tied, seeing as the municipality is allegedly doing nothing to provide for the community.
The issue has been long standing and saw residents, with the help of the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Middle Class Earners Committee, picketing outside the entrance to the Msukaligwa municipal offices, demanding land a fortnight ago.
They also marched to the Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) last week, to hand over a memorandum to the executive mayor with a list of demands.
The matter has the potential of boiling over with the regional SACP and various organisations including the communities having met last Sunday to mobilise all communities in Ermelo in their fight for land and service delivery in Msukaligwa.
“We have the right to shelter,” one leader said.
“It is a basic human right and there are people who have been on housing lists for the past nine years, while children as young as 16 years own RDP houses.
“This is why people will build in informal settlements and connect electricity illegally.
We have no land and no services.”
According to him, the municipality needs to step in before more lives are lost.
However, some communities do not want assistance from municipalities.
According to one resident from the Marikana Informal Settlement, who spoke on a condition of anonymity, officials from the municipality and utility giant, Eskom, are chased away by residents.
“They chase them away because they fear they will be disconnected, leaving them in the dark.”
It has become a no-go area for officials wanting to fix electrical problems.
When the Highvelder visited the area, illegal connections were plentiful with most hidden in the ground with the potential of inflicting harm on anybody stepping on it.
When anybody enquires about the connections, residents threaten violence should one question the status quo.
When queried about illegal connections and what they are doing to curb such, Msukaligwa Municipality swiftly responded.
“The municipality would firstly like to extend heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, whose member passed on due to the alleged illegal connection,” municipal spokesman, Mr Mandla Zwane, said.
According to Mr Zwane, the municipality has appointed a private company to, among others, disconnect illegal connections and audit electrical apparatus (cables, meters) etc.
He further said the municipality is exploring the smart metering system as part of
curbing illegal connections.
Mr Zwane however, confirmed claims that municipal employees sent to disconnect these connections are intimidated and chased away or refuse admittance by communities.
He warned that in terms of the by-law on electricity, no person shall willfully hinder, obstruct, interfere with or refuse admittance to the engineer or any duly authorised official of the Service Provider in the performance of his duty under this by-law or of any duty connected therewith or relating thereto.
“Lastly the municipality would like repeat that when communities connect electricity illegally, they are putting their own life or those close to them in perilous situations which includes fatalities.
“The illegal connections also put a burden or strain on the fiscal of the municipality which leads to the municipality unable to deliver services or pay its Eskom debts and other providers.”
