Illegal connections persist at settlement

THERE has been no abatement of the illegal power connections at the Mallacca Road Informal Settlement in Glen Hills, and efforts to curb the theft of cables have once again proved futile. In May this year, Robin Candy, chairman of the Greenwood Park CPF, and the municipality’s electricity department removed 200 metres of cable illegally connected to street light poles. No sooner had the cables been removed, they were once again connected.

Cable and electricity theft costs the city around R230-million annually. The illegal connections have now left the dump on Malacca Road without electricity.

“This is an ongoing problem at the settlement and a potentially dangerous one too. So many of the wires running the length of the settlement are exposed and could easily kill the residents and children. The illegal connections are used to power stoves, radios and television sets of more than 200 people at the informal settlement,” said Candy.

“Unfortunately, the situation has now left the dump without electricity. I have reported illegal connections to the municipality but I’m certain there will be more following the disconnection. We have also warned the residents about the dangers of the illegal connections,” he said.

eThekwini spokesman, Tozi Mthethwa, said the scourge of illegal electricity connections has been an ongoing challenge for the city.

“Our illegal services contractor teams, escorted by the security guards, remove illegal connections on a regular basis. Some of the perpetrators of these illegal activities have been arrested, however, charges are often dropped due to the lack of tangible evidence and the low fines imposed are not a deterrent. Awareness programmes are conducted regularly to educate residents on safety, reporting of the theft of electricity and the consequences of connecting electricity illegally,” she said.

Mthethwa added the municipality had also put forward a number of measures to deter the theft of cables and illegal connections. Circuits have been reconfigured to reduce the interruption of supplies.

“The overhead, bare copper, low-voltage circuits have been replaced with aerial bundled conductors (ABCs) as a deterrent to tapping into the exposed copper line,” she said.

Any suspicion of cable theft should be reported to the electricity call centre on 080 131 3111, SMS 083 700 0819 or e-mail custocare@elec.durban.gov.za.

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