Electricity theft has become a large problem in the Diepsloot community and people who are paying their bills religiously are the ones who suffer.
Public Relations councillor Sean Kreusch has given Fourways Review insight into how bad the situation has become. “The effects of the thefts are an unstable system and power outages as the thieves overload the system,” said Kreusch.
Khulu Phasiwe, the national spokesperson for Eskom explained, “Illegal connections are a huge challenge for both Eskom and municipalities, from a safety and revenue collection point of view. Eskom regularly visits illegal connection hot spots and removes the illegal networks as they pose a safety risk to the communities.”
Phasiwe added that Eskom, municipalities and the South African Police Service have teamed up in an attempt to end the crisis. “A lasting solution to illegal connections is the formal electrification programme to areas that are not electrified. The National Treasury has allocated R1 billion to Eskom and municipalities to electrify over 700 000 households over the next three years,” elaborated Phasiwe.
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Kreusch is worried that this is an on-going culture and it needs to be nipped in the bud because if it goes unchecked the safety of those who pay are at stake. Phasiwe added that Eskom is working on the removal of illegal connections and is trying to educate communities about the dangers of such illegal connections, through various joint operations.
Kreusch added, “The way the people of Diepsloot [is being] forgotten is unbelievable. When electricity thieves get away with their actions the law abiding resident suffers.”
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