Illegal connections lead to load shedding

THE KWAZULU-NATAL Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has warned the public to put an end to the practice of illegally connecting electricity because such connections put additional pressure on the national grid, which leads to load shedding.

The MEC for COGTA, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, made this statement after another person was killed as a result of an illegal electricity connection in the province. A loose cable, which was allegedly connected to a neighbour’s corrugated iron roof, was responsible for the death of a woman in the Kwadukuza municipal area.

“We are with the family of Princess Ntuli of Kwadukuza in their grief, and we are optimistic that our law enforcement agencies will put those who are responsible for this unfortunate death behind bars. We have consistently urged our communities to refrain from connecting electricity illegally and to acquire their electricity legally. We have had numerous incidents where children as young as five have lost their lives due to the negligence of adults in the community.

“We need to remember that all those who are connecting electricity illegally in the province are doing so at a risk to the entire province. We are imploring law-abiding residents to report illegal electricity connections because ultimately if they do not, they will pay a heavy price,” said Dube-Ncube.