The clampdown on electricity theft within the Endumeni Municipal area should continue and include all wards.
These were some of the comments made at last week’s Special Council meeting where some Councillors said an impression had been created that Ward 3, Sithembile, was not being audited by the company contracted to check all meters for illegal tampering.
Councillor Hope Xaba, Ward 4, said he had received complaints from people in his area that Ward 3 was ‘being left alone’.
Councillor Khanyile, EFF Councillor, said he had received information that Sithembile residents were not against being audited but were not happy that the people used by the auditing company were not from the area.
Speaker Mbatha-Makhathini said electricity theft is crippling the municipality financially (theft last year was around R25-million). “When people come for help because their electricity has been cut I always see what I can do. However, when I hear that they have been stealing I am very much against that.”
Acting municipal manager, Lwazi Cindi, told the Council that staff found the environment very hostile in Sithembile whenever meters were checked or when electricians were sent in to remove tampered connections.
He said it was important to ‘demystify the situation in Sithembile and the Ward Councillor and Ward Committee should explain to residents that all are subject to meter auditing’.
Councillors were of the opinion that the solution is more political than administrative.
