Electricity theft costs metro R470m per year
“We have increased the fines for illegal connections and electricity theft to R10-million for business accounts. Individual or household accounts are only fined R200 000.”
Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has urged Nellmapius residents to help fight electricity theft by reporting any illegal connections.
The mayor was on a clean-up campaign when he bumped into the City’s technicians repairing a high mast light which is suspected to be damaged by illegal connections.
“The cable line that is connected to the underground line is visible showing signs of tampering,” Brink said.
[WATCH] While in Nellmapius for a clean-up operation, we also came across our teams repairing a high mast light. We suspect the damage was caused by an illegal connection and this is where we need communities to assist us by reporting illegal connections. @CityTshwane pic.twitter.com/qiJ0b9d0eO
— Cilliers Brink (@CilliersB) May 12, 2023
He said with community assistance illegal connections can be defeated.
“We need communities to assist us by reporting illegal connections because this is within the knowledge of the local people.
“The Tshwane metro will be vigilant to such incidents and we will act decisively.”
“Electricity theft and vandalism of infrastructure do great damage to the City’s essential property.”
Rekord previously reported about Tshwane finance MMC warning anyone found to have connected electricity illegally or anyone found to have tampered with infrastructure, will be fined.
Finance MMC Peter Sutton said electricity theft was costing the metro an estimated R470-million per year.
“This is money taken away from service delivery by individuals and business owners in Tshwane through pure arrogance and entitlement,” said Sutton.
Previously, anyone caught with illegal connections would have been fined around R600 000.
“We have increased the fines for illegal connections and electricity theft to R10-million for business accounts. Individual or household accounts are only fined R200 000.”
Sutton said the metro would also look into laying criminal charges to pursue lost revenue.
“We will establish a highly skilled multidisciplinary revenue collection team for this purpose, to which we allocated R68-million in the budget.
“If you are an individual and/or business owner involved in electricity theft and tampering with prepaid meters, you should be very concerned.”
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashego encouraged the community to report any vandalism to essential infrastructure, cable theft and/or tampering with metro electrical infrastructure to the TMPD cable theft unit on 012 358 1550.
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