Categories: South Africa

WATCH: Alex residents fight for their illegal electricity connections

Angry residents have taken to the streets in Alexandra, Johannesburg, burning tyres and throwing debris onto the streets following a stand-off with city officials trying to undo illegal electricity connections.

The area faces a major housing delivery backlog with some of the city’s largest informal settlements exacerbated by the mushrooming of new ones.

Residents were striking on London Road next to Alex Mall. My office alongside @CityPowerJhb officials were present to address the media and also facilitate a conversations with residents to agree to a meeting that leads to a resolution in this matter. pic.twitter.com/jtAr2IEV6f

Advertisement

— Cllr Mpho Moerane (@mphomoerane) February 18, 2021


The City of Johannesburg has been grappling with the issue at an escalating rate this year.

Last week, the metro’s power utility City Power intervened when residents of a hijacked building illegally connected to the grid from the local transformer. Despite this, the illegal connections were up the next day, according to business owners in the area.

Advertisement
Protests on London Road in Alexandra, north of Johannesburg, as crowds blockade an operation to remove illegal electricity connections in the area on 18 February 2021. Picture: Neil McCartney

City Power says it loses about R2 billion annually due to non-technical loses which include illegal connections.

The utility has also seen an increase in vandalism of our infrastructure and theft of cables, with some sold at scrap yards but others used to reconnect illegally to our network.

READ NEXT: PICS: City Power battles angry mob as it cuts illegal connections

Advertisement

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.

Published by
By Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni