By Everson Luhanga
On Wednesday, Johannesburg City Power disconnected a web of illegal electricity connections in Tembisa’s Kanana section.
City Power workers, guarded by metro police and the SAPS, cut off illegal connections and confiscated around 18,000kg of aluminium cables and conductors from the Kanana informal settlement in Rabie Ridge.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the operation was part of the utility’s plan to reduce “excessive electricity consumption” – demand beyond what it could supply.
He said residents of informal settlements had been unlawfully tapping into the power network, destroying infrastructure, and stealing electricity, contributing to overloading that tripped power in formal housing areas.
Mangena said that since the start of the year, City Power has had to replace eight transformers in areas damaged by illegal connections and three additional transformers in Rabie Ridge that were also affected by overloading.
“One person was arrested for connecting electricity illegally, with several others arrested in possession of stolen cables used to connect power illegally. Most of these aerial bundle cables are stolen from the streetlights across the city.”
City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava said that while actively removing illegal connections is essential, it’s just a short-term solution.
He said illegal connections are part of a bigger housing challenge that must be addressed so that they can bring electricity to some of the informal settlements.
“It will work in our favour to have the 321 informal settlements in the City of Johannesburg electrified, as we will be able to work out the capacity we need and gain revenue from electricity purchases,” said Mashava.
“This past financial year, we managed to electrify the informal settlements of Slovo Park, Princess Plot, Matholesville and Kliptown.”
For City Power to connect electricity services, the human settlements department must first certify that the area can be lived in as part of the formalisation process. After that, City Power can bring in electricity.
Pictured above: City Power officials with a web of wires after disconnecting izinyoka.
Source: City Power
