Despite a number of initiatives which have been put in place to tackle cable theft and illegal electricity connections in Kya Sands Informal Settlement, there is still a long way to go.
On a visit to the settlement, City of Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Parks Tau said although the number of electricity outages had dropped significantly in the area, it didn’t resolve all the problems, particularly illegal connections.
Tau added that the only way to deal with the problem was to electrify the area which, according to Mmatshidiso Mfikoe of Environment and Infrastructure Services, was not so simple.
“This [Kya Sands informal settlement] is one of 181 informal settlements in Johannesburg that we have taken a decision to electrify,” said Mfikoe.
She added that this would be done in phases as the City did not have enough resources to electrify all the settlements at once.
“There are a number of things that still need to be done. We need to check the capacity available, check available roads and other important factors that still need to be considered.
“The other important part is making sure that the informal settlement won’t be relocated in a space of three years.”
In the meantime, many Kya Sands residents have taken matters into their own hands by illegally connecting their houses. Currently, more than 100 homes in the area are illegally connected.
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