Anger over Red Ants’ removal of illegal connections in Ehlanzeni and Vusimuzi

Residents of the Ehlanzeni and Vusimuzi informal settlements were taken by surprise on Thursday, March 1 when a troop of ‘Red Ants’ security personnel, working for the City of Ekurhuleni, arrived in the settlements and began to cut and unearth illegally connected electricity cables.

A fight broke out between the community and the Red Ants, which saw some community members being assaulted and shot with rubber bullets by the security personnel.

Community member Thobelani Luvuno, who sustained a rubber bullet wound, said the Red Ants were just shooting at anyone they came across on the streets.

“I had just finished taking a bath and went out to check what the noise was about, and at my gate I met this Red Ants security guy,” Luvuno said. “He pointed his gun at me and started shooting at me without saying a word. I ran back into my shack and he continued to shoot at my shack.

“He was aware that I wasn’t among the people who were fighting with them, but he shot at me,” Luvuno added.

Community leader Bongi Hlatshwayo said they were surprised by the Red Ants, who came to assault members of the community and cut off electricity in the area.

“We cannot allow this to happen, because as a community we also need electricity,” Hlatshwayo said.

“We have pleaded for a long time with the municipality to give us electricity but they have done nothing, and we eventually made our own connections.”

The community is adamant that the Red Ants operation was endorsed by their local councillor, with whom they had a recent meeting about the re-blocking of the informal settlement, a development which is envisaged to take place in the area.

As a result of their electricity disconnections, the Ehlanzeni and Vusimuzi communities have threatened not to vote in the upcoming 2019 elections

City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Themba Gadebe said illegally connected power cables, largely running underground in the informal settlements, had been removed to reduce power supply interruptions in the area and its surroundings.

“An estimated 1 800 unlawful connections were discovered, and these are responsible for overloading the network, which in turn causes persistent service interruptions,” Gadebe said.

“Ekurhuleni loses close to R800-million a year in unaccounted-for electricity caused by nearly 3 500 illegal power connections across the city.

“This act is not only stealing from the state but also poses a great danger to children who use open spaces to play.”

Gadebe encouraged residents to report any illegal connections or suspicious behaviour through the municipal call centre on 086 054 3000.