Cops clamp down on electricity theft
On June 24 the five-year-old was killed when he grabbed an electric cable by accident, while playing outside his friend's house
Following the recent death of Prince Mkhonto, a grade R pupil at Amon Nkosi Primary School in Emjindini, the Umjindi Municipality in collaboration with the SAPS, launched a full-scale operation this past week to remove illegal connections from Emjindini’s Extention 11.
On June 24 the five-year-old was killed when he grabbed an electric cable by accident, while playing outside his friend’s house. Prince’s friend, Boy-Boy Sibanyoni (2), was admitted to Barberton General Hospital but has since been discharged.
On Wednesday at 05:00 the police and municipal officials began their raid during which 12 people were arrested and charged with illegal connection of electricity. Two had been deported to Maputo. Telkom cables, which were used for these connections, had been ripped from the ground and loaded onto bakkies and trucks. At 17:00, cables, amounting to three bakkie loads as well as two loads with a three-ton truck, had been disposed of and burnt at the dumping site.
The municipality warned the community that illegal electrical connections would not be tolerated in Umjindi as it was not only illegal, but also very dangerous.
Currently, the municipality is losing more than R3 million a month due to illegal connections. “We call upon the residents of Umjindi to report these acts to the police or the municipal call centre on 013-712-2222,” said Sam Jele, media spokesman for the municipality.
The people who were arrested and charged were released on R500 bail each. They will appear in the Barberton Magistrate’s Court on September 1.
