The community of Khayalethu section in Khutsong took action against illegal electrical connections in their area on the 25 June.
Members of the community alerted Eskom service to a pole that had been illegally erected by residents of the Crossroad/Sonerwater informal settlements, around Khayalethu section. Khayalethu residents stood guard while Eskom workers removed the pole, despite a physical battle that ensued when people started throwing stones at each other. The pole was dismantled and confiscated.
Khayalethu residents say the problem has been going on for years, with no one doing anything about it. Police, who failed to make any arrests, informed them that Eskom, as the power supplier, would have to open a case against the perpetrators.
The ongoing saga has resulted in frequent disruptions, and the 11 kb mini-substation in the section has exploded on numerous occasions because of the overload. The culprits are a group of young men from Crossroads informal settlement who make their own illegal connections, usually under cover of night, but also in broad daylight. They also throw wires onto the electrical cables that supply Khayalethu section, which also affects the Batswaneng section. The wires apparently result in a current overload and Eskom has to then cut the supply.
The Khayalethu community has been sent from pillar to post, between their ward councillor, Thabo Foteng and Jomo Mogale, who is in charge of electricity. Mogale told the Herald he could not comment as the issue of electricity has to be dealt with by Eskom.
“We want the municipality to provide electricity to the people of Sonderwater because it’s the only solution to this problem. If it doesn’t, we are going to suffer for many years,” lamented one community member. According to an official from Eskom, “The company is willing to supply electricity to Sonerwater, but it cannot take any action until the municipality, as the landowner, gives permission to do so.”
The issue is an on-going tribulation that seems too far from been resolved, according to a community member.
