City of Ekurhuleni pounces on 34 power thieves
On January 13, Ekurhuleni metro members descended on several areas in Boksburg and Brakpan where they disconnected illegal electricity connections, and slapped the property owners with fines.
During the blitz involving the City’s energy and police departments, 18 homeowners in Parkdene were issued with fines of R3 613.79 each after technicians found they had tampered with electricity meter boxes.
In Dawn Park, 11 homeowners were slapped with the same fines for tampering with the utility infrastructure.
Five other power thieves were also issued with fines in Dalpark, Brakpan. In addition to paying the fines, the offenders are expected to pay the estimated electricity use for the duration of the illegal connection, meter bypassing or tampering.
The City vowed that it adopted zero tolerance on people tampering with its electricity infrastructure, adding that operations designed to dismantle power thefts will continue across the metro.
“The disconnection raids are part of the City’s fight against electricity theft, and have been carried out in areas including estates, flats and residential houses to curb the costs of lost revenue and replacement of damaged electricity infrastructure,” said acting metro spokesperson Solly Mashabela.
Authorities found that illegal connections are prevalent in informal settlements, townships and hostels, while electricity meter box tampering and bypassing are prevalent in affluent areas.
City losing millions to power theft
Last month, this publication reported that the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) lost about R1.2-billion to electricity theft in the City for the 2019/20 financial year alone. Arrests had been done, but no successful convictions have been achieved by the end of 2020.
In response to the theft described as a silent crime, the previous metro spokesperson, Themba Gadebe, said the City has designed an anti-electricity theft campaign to intensify efforts to fight the scourge of illegal electricity connections in the City.
The campaign aims to remove all the illegal connections in the CoE electrical grid, and to sensitise communities about the dangers of illegal connections that are done on the metro’s electrical grid.
Residents are urged to report illegal connections to the City’s service delivery call centre by dialling 0860 543 000 or send an email to call.centre@ekurhuleni.gov.za
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