Lekwa says ‘no more’ to electricity theft

The Lekwa Local Municipality (LLM) put their foot down on a local electricity thief on April 23, by reporting him at the Standerton SAPS.

Vukosi Nkatha, chief financial officer for the LLM, said the suspect owes an estimated R160 000 in municipal bills and has only paid his account once since.

“The municipality has been operating at a loss because of electricity theft in local residences,” explained Nkatha.

During an interview with the Lekwa team, Nkatha explained to the Standerton Advertiser when someone steals electricity, the municipality’s usage continues to rise, but the payments do not match the usage.

This means the municipality will not have enough money to pay for the electricity used. Currently, the municipality owes an estimated R2.7b to Eskom.

“Our monthly bill for electricity ranges between R15m and R75m, however, our total collections rarely exceed R30m, making it impossible to pay our electricity bill on time,” stated Nkhata.

LLM legal services manager, Samuel Muedi, explained the implications of electricity theft are vaster than financial strain.

He noted electricity theft could lead to a strain on the overall electricity grid, potentially causing blackouts, dangers and hazards for children, damaging essential infrastructure and even resulting in loss of life.

“Tampering with infrastructure is not a minor offence; offenders can expect to serve up to 10 years in prison for damaging vital infrastructure,” explained Muedi.

According to Nkhata, they discovered this theft case while implementing the municipality’s Credit Control Policy (CCP).

After discovering the suspect’s large debt, the LLM sent its technicians to his home in Hurricane Street, Stanfield Hill, to disconnect his electricity.

The municipality then returned to the breaker box after still not receiving any payment, only to discover the suspect allegedly reconnected his line.

The next step for the municipality was to remove a second breaker, however, this was to no avail, as the suspect allegedly replaced the second breaker with one of his own.

After removing the breaker again, and disconnecting the electricity to his home, the suspect allegedly broke into the sub and connected directly to the municipality’s electricity line.

The LLM saw this as the final straw and opened a case of theft and damage of property at the Standerton SAPS. After opening the case, the team returned to the sub, only to find their municipal lock was removed and replaced with a personal lock.

The municipality believes this lock belongs to the suspect, and was added to prevent them from turning the electricity off again. Assistant project manager, Sifiso Nkosi, explained on the scene the breaker box supplies the whole block with electricity, which includes 14 houses.

He explained because of the actions of the suspect, 14 families could be without electricity for days, should the box trip or faulty wiring be installed without supervision.

Nkhata addressed offenders of this crime, “We acknowledge our processes were not always on par, but we attempt to meet our consumers halfway.

“We have implemented more lenient policies to ensure everyone has a fair chance of paying their municipal bills. We currently have lawyers and debt collectors working with our collections department to advise consumers and give them fair payment plans.”

The LLM urges residents with bridged meters to disclose it. If you are aware of anyone stealing electricity, report it. Nkhata stated we needed to work together to abolish the municipality’s debt and shape a brighter future.

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