POLOKWANE – Residents and businesses in Boom Street were without electricity for three hours after the municipality cut the electricity supply in the street due to illegal trading.

The municipality received information from people living in the area that there were more more than six small businesses operating from a premises in the street where only one business used to be.

Tidimalo Chuene, a municipal spokesperson, said after receiving the information the municipality sent out officials to investigate the allegations and the electricity supply was cut thereafter.

“During our investigations we found businesses in Boom Street that had structures that did not comply to building regulations.

“We have businesses to run and cannot afford a minute without electricity. Why must our businesses suffer?”

“These businesses were issued with notices of illegal structures which contravened building regulations and the electricity supply was switched off, but switched back on after the tenants made an undertaking to remove the illegal structures,” Chuene said.

Other business owners in the area said it was unfair that the municipality cut everyone in the street’s electricity supply due to one premises not abiding to building regulations.

“We have businesses to run and cannot afford a minute without electricity. Why must our businesses suffer?

“The municipality can cut the electricity off at that specific point and leave the rest of our electricity on,” an angry business owner said.

A resident said even though the municipality visited the premises where illegal trading was allegedly taking place, the situation on the premises did not change.

“The structures are still there and they are still doing business as usual,” residents said.

By the time of going to print, Review had not received the municipality’s comment on why the structures had not been removed and why the allegedly illegal trading was still ongoing.