Lack of spark from Nkomazi leads to theft of electricity
Illegal electricity connections have plagued the new area in this town, referred to by the residents as Tonga/Mangweni. Community members say they have no other option but to resort to these connections after their cries for power were ignored by the municipality.
TONGA – Illegal electricity connections have plagued the new area in this town, referred to by the residents as Tonga/Mangweni. Community members say they have no other option but to resort to these connections after their cries for power were ignored by the municipality.
“This has always been the case with us here, no one wants to survive without electricity,” said one disgruntled resident who did not wish to be named. The danger of the connections was evident when a man was accidentally electrocuted last December when he stepped on an open cable.
“The rainy season makes us even more anxious, this torment is a confirmation of how much our lives are at risk and we plead with the municipality to do something about it,” said another resident.
Nkomazi Municipality spokesperson Mr Cyril Ripinga, said they were under the impression that Eskom was busy with a project to ensure electrification of the whole area.
“We are not aware that there are households without electricity, according to the knowledge at our disposal, the project from Eskom has covered all the households,” he said. Ripinga said they were not even aware of the fatality.
“We always warn against illegal connections and it seems to be a recurring problem. We do not encourage it,” he added. However, he has assured this paper the matter would be investigated, thus the fate of the residents in question remains unknown.
