Mayor calls for an end to illegal electricity connections
Stop illegal connections before more lives are lost.
The executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Clr Mondli Gungubele, has warned that more innocent lives are going to be lost if illegal electricity connections are allowed to continue in our communities.
Reacting to news of the death of 10-year-old Asandile Pati, who was electrocuted as a result of illegal connections in Thokoza last weekend, Gungubele said it is time for the community to say “enough is enough”.
“Every time we make an effort to remove illegal connections we get attacked by angry communities.
“The sad scenario is that the practice claims innocent lives on an annual basis yet communities still allow them to continue,” Gungubele said.
“Our communities must understand that while this is a threat to the electricity grid in the country, our main issue, as a municipality, is the loss of innocent lives.
“You will know that not only do people get electrocuted, even those who rely on electricity-dependent life-support systems are endangered because of unplanned power outages forced by overloading the system.”
The mayor encouraged parents to keep a watchful eye on their children to try and prevent more incidents of this nature.
Gungubele has sent his condolences to the family of little Asandile.
Asandile tripped and fell on the illegal wiring while playing with his friends in Thokoza.
Meanwhile, Gungubele has appealed to local communities to support the city in its ongoing campaign against illegal connections.
The campaign, which started two years ago and is targeting hotspots, has already resulted in illegal connections being removed in, among other areas, Thokoza, Dukathole and Langaville.
The metro loses almost R200-million from the theft of electricity each year.
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