Locals’ shady connections with electrician exposed
A local estate agent told the newspaper that she was sent to do inspection of an apartment.
LYDENBURG – A Thaba Chweu Municipality (TCM) electrician is in hot water after it was established that he was taking bribes to tamper with meter boxes in households.
A local estate agent told the newspaper that she was sent to do inspection of an apartment.
“The garage of the apartment was locked. when I arrived. The tenant explained that his furniture was still inside.
“At that moment a municipal bakkie drove up to the unit, apparently to inspect the meter box.
“I explained that the garage was locked and the three TCM employees said that they would come back another time.”
Before she and the employees left, another resident in the complex came running over and gave her the key to the garage door.
She said that she had noticed something was wrong with the box when they opened the garage and questioned the TCM electrician about it. “He explained that the box was struck by lightning and that they now had to remove the meter and fit a new one.
“When I asked how much this would cost, he initially said nothing but changed his mind and said she or the owner would have to cough up R1 250 for the new one.”
When she questioned the tenant regarding the meter box, he confessed that he had bribed the electrician to remove the evidence – in this case the box – for R2 000.
Mr Lesley Mokwena, acting municipal manager of TCM told Steelburger/Lydenburg News that there was already another employee, besides this one, facing a disciplinary hearing for illegally connecting electricity.
“This is a very serious transgression for a municipality battling to combat illegal connections and an excessive Eskom account. We cannot afford our own employees tampering with meter boxes and if need be, disciplinary action and dismissal will be implemented.
“Residents should make use of the amnesty period that was currently running at TCM. “This provides those who have breached boxes to come forward without being fined for illegal connection.”
Mokwena also said that TCM would implement an audit system to determine which households were guilty and would clamp down on them.
