This is according to ward 34 councillor Charlie Crawford.
He said despite the municipality’s electrical department’s efforts to deal with the problem, Izinyoka (slang for cable and electricity thieves) continue to cause havoc for resident by illegally connecting from power boxes, high mast lights and street light poles, causing perpetual blackouts in the entire township.
“On Sunday, June 18, the township was left in the dark after electricity thieves illegally connected cables from the newly installed electricity box opposite the Reiger Park Civic Centre on Leon Ferreira Drive to their shacks.
“In Joe Slovo informal settlement, live cables are lying in the streets, posing a danger to children playing there,” said Crawford.
Crawford said although he is against the theft of electricity, he remains concerned about their living conditions.
“I understand that living without electricity is very hard and this has prompted me, as the ward councillor, to fight for the community to at least get solar panels.
“Their solar panels were approved last year, but residents rejected them,” said Crawford.
“It is not true that I don’t care about the people of Slovo as claimed by some people who are trying to hard to score points with voters,” said Crawford.
Over and above the electricity problem faced in Reiger Park and Ramaphosa, a number of chaotic scenes were reported within the Ekurhuleni metro in just one week.
On Monday night, June 19, fed-up residents reportedly vandalised the newly built municipal Customer Care Centre in the Winnie Mandela section in Tembisa.
This was during a protest against an interruption in the supply of electricity, which reportedly left residents of the area in the dark for two days.
Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina condemned the vandalising of municipal property, saying the unfortunate acts of criminality undermine government’s efforts to ensure that quality services are readily available in all communities.
Meanwhile an Ekurhuleni municipal contract worker died when soil collapsed on him as he was digging a trench for the installation of new city sewer pipes in Etwatwa.
Land invaders are another thorn in the municipality’s side. They have been intermittently attempting to invade parcels of municipal-owned land in Tsakani.
