As the demolition project was launched last year, Emalahleni Local Municipality set out to rectify one of the city’s major problems.
Illegal buildings and structures were blamed for a large portion of the municipality’s debt and for overburdening a very fragile infrastructure.
The Building Control Office, steered by Building Control Officer, Mr Kobus Tanner, led the project that started in Vosman where the first illegally-built structure fell.
The project continued throughout eMalahleni and surrounding areas.
Several buildings have already been cleared and as mentioned in the WITBANK NEWS April 17 issue, more than 400 notices for demolition have been updated to the Building Control Office’s system.
A pertinent problem discovered wherever inspection was done on these illegally built structures, was illegal disposal of waste and illegal electricity connections.
“These buildings do not have the proper building plans to make provision for the extra use of electricity or sewerage disposal,” Tanner had pointed out on numerous occasions.
At one of the premises in Van Deventer Street last year in October, they had found several Wendy houses on a single stand. All of these houses were rented out illegally and each had been illegally supplied with electricity by bypassing municipality’s meter.
More than once illegal connections were discovered in residential homes that had been illegally extended and run as guesthouses.
The Building Control Office set up a database to keep track of outstanding fines owed from buildings on the demolition list. Currently R474 000 fines is owed due to ‘meters that had been tampered with’.
In Van Deventer Street, a homeowner owes as much as R170 000 after it was found that the electricity meter was tampered with. An owner in French Street owes R155 000 and another in Jellicoe Street was fined R130 000. Two residents in Lukin Street were fined separately R4 000 and R15 000 up to date.
Tanner said that they would focus on these homes and that they would also soon be demolished. Stealing electricity is a serious offence that will not be dealt with lightly.
At the end of last year Eskom had revealed that as much as 7% of the country’s electricity is stolen via illegal connections – something the state power utility can no longer afford.
Illegal connections are only one example of electricity theft and typically involve running a cable from an Eskom pylon to a home, office, or unsanctioned distribution point.
Then there is of course meter tampering, where an electricity user bypasses Eskom’s meter to avoid paying for the electricity they use.
With any luck, the demolition of illegal structures might just be able to help curb meter tampering and illegal connections in residential areas.
The Building Control Office reminds that if you have an illegally built structure on your premises or suspect another illegal building in your area, to report it immediately.
The Building Control Office can be contacted on 013 690 6309.
