Dangerous electricity wires connecting Pangoville residents illegally to the grid. Photo: Jaco Human.
Crisscrossing wires span the road, providing electricity to many homes in the Munsieville Township area. The problem is that this particular tangled mess is continuously siphoning electricity from the grid illegally.
For the most part, the problem is restricted to the section right at the back of the township, namely some of the illegally erected shelters in the Pangoville informal settlement.
Dangerous electricity wires connecting Pangoville residents illegally to the grid. Photo: Jaco Human.
Driving down Helena Road, the problem starts to become apparent. By the time you reach Jabulani and Corane Roads, a worrying picture has unfolded.
After being approached by the News, the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM) confirmed the problem by noting, “There is an informal settlement located between Munsieville Extension 2 and 4, known as Pangoville, which has no access to electricity. Residents of Pangoville are illegally connecting their dwellings to the electricity network without permission from the municipality.”
Dangerous electricity wires connecting Pangoville residents illegally to the grid. Photo: Jaco Human.
Considering that the illegal wires are clearly visible from the road, why does MCLM not remove them regularly? The short answer is that MCLM fears for the safety of its employees, as the area and certain residents may become dangerous, explaining that, “The municipality has been aware of these illegal connections and has been working with and getting assistance from local police and our Public Safety section to protect our Utilities Management Services (UMS) personnel when they clear out illegal connections in the informal settlement.
“The intervention has not been successful as these illegal connections always resurface. Safety risks to the public and UMS personnel relate to electrocution, and the electricity revenue loss is worsened.”
Electricity being illegally siphoned in Munsieville’s Pangoville settlement. Photo: Jaco Human.
For the time being, it seems as though the problem will remain, but MCLM mentioned that, “The electrification project is already under way – engineering design work has been completed; construction work started in January and will be completed by the end of the year. We have completed various installations to reconfigure the network in the interim in such way that the quality of supply to legitimate consumers is not compromised, while the electrification project in Pangoville is under way.”
It remains to be seen if providing legal electricity to a mostly unauthorised section of Munsieville will either resolve or worsen the problem.
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