Zululand a hotspot for illegal connections

AN estimated 90 000 illegal electrical feeds were connected in the province of KZN last year.

This astounding figure was revealed to the ZO by Eskom’s General Manager for the KZN region, Monde Bala.

Bala, together with various stakeholders, addressed a small crowd at Enseleni on Tuesday as part of Eskom’s National Public Awareness Safety Campaign.

Eskom noted the main cause of deaths with regard to illegal connections is the poor or complete lack of insulation on wires which touch other metal objects such as shacks or fences, which results in electrocutions.

And according to Bala, certain areas within Zululand are deemed to be hot spots in terms of these illegal connections.

‘This area (Enseleni) is one of the problem places for illegal connections.

‘The informal settlements are a challenge because there are new dwellings going up all the time.

‘We are working closely with the Department of Energy, local councillors and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to ensure that development in the regions is fast tracked,’ he said.

Meanwhile councillor for Enseleni Ward 8, Thabisile Patricia Wanda, said the community has to deal with the issue of no electrical boxes in their homes.

‘Eskom is not providing quickly enough.

‘We need them to provide early,’ said Wanda.

Bala attributed Wanda’s concerns to the backlog Eskom is dealing with for Zululand.

‘We are facing an immense backlog in terms of the area itself, but we are doing as much as we can to speed up the process of electrifying more households.’

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Light up Zululand

Bala told the ZO there are plans for a major electrical injection for the Zululand region.

‘Our infrastructure and network in the area is quite weak but we are planning a major injection that will light up thousands of homes and increase our capacity here.

‘This will come with the development of the Gezisa power station at Manguzi.

‘Development on Gezisa is has already begun and will be finished by March/April next year,’ he said.

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