Thousands of desperate shack-dwellers resort to stealing electricity

Accompanied by the police and Ekurhuleni officials the Red Ants pounced on Road Reserve, which is a densely populated informal settlement a mere stone’s throw from Reiger Park.

The law enforcement agencies stood watch as the Red Ants dug out about a ton of illegal electrical cables and loaded them into the back of their trucks.

Live electrical cables were found to be running in shallow and narrow trenches, with others running on the surface along the narrow streets, posing a danger to residents, especially children.

Speaking to the Advertiser on condition of anonymity, residents said illegal connections will continue.

They said the problem lies with the local government, which they claim has failed to deliver basic services since 1994.

When asked if they are aware of the life-threatening consequences of dealing with live electricity, the residents said they know the practice is dangerous, but they have no choice.

They told the Advertiser that, since the government has failed to provide them with power, they need to resort to illegal connections.

“We don’t mind paying for electricity,” said one resident.

”Since the squatter camp was erected years ago we have, on numerous occasions, asked the authorities to supply us with electricity and enough communal water taps.

“The government is ignoring us, so we will continue stealing electricity until they build us RDP houses.

“These thousands of households still rely on three communal water taps, and we do not even have the bucket toilets, so you can see that we are not getting service from our government.

“Municipal officials and politicians only come here during election campaign periods, to make empty promises.

“Whenever they come here to campaign, they keep on telling us that things will get better soon.”

Another resident said officials were wasting their time and money by hiring the Red Ants to remove the cables, because “izinyoka” would be at work again, replacing the cables.

He said a more sustainable solution is necessary to meet the demands of the people, even if it means installing a solar power system.

“Government’s failure to provide us with basic services, including electricity, has forced us to take matters into our own hands,” the resident added.

“We know it is illegal, but we will continue to connect electricity illegally because we also need it – like all other people of South Africa.

“We have been living in this area for years without electricity. Enough is enough.”

The residents revealed that illegally connecting electricity is also big business.

They said there is a group of people who make a fortune from installing illegal connections.

They apparently charge between R200 and R250 per shack for an illegal connection.

Meanwhile, another resident alleged that even those who have electricity in Ramaphosa and Reiger Park are also making use of illegal connections.

“We know that the majority of the people in the RDP houses you see across the road have bypassed electricity meters to avoid paying for the electricity that they use,” he said. Others are even running cables from their RDP houses to supply electricity to a number of shacks in Road Reserve, and some officials are aware of this crime.”

Illegal connections and energy loss are a major challenge for the metro, which is losing millions of Rand through electricity theft per year.