Illegal connections still a problem

Electricity theft is still an ongoing issue in Vryheid despite the AbaQulusi Municipality’s attempts to cut off illegal connections.

According to community members who attended the recent budget meeting held at Bhekuzulu Hall last month, the municipal workers are mainly to blame for the illegal connection issues in Bhekuzulu.

The matter around illegal electricity connections was raised by the AbaQulusi Municipality’s mayor Cllr Patience Khaba with reference to reasons why the municipality was not meeting target where electricity payments are concerned.

“It is simple, people steal electricity and no one is coming forward to report these people to the municipality. This results in the whole town suffering,” said the mayor to the Bhekuzulu community member.

Community members agreed that although they were aware of homes that have been connected in this manner, the fault was often with the technical services municipal workers who wanted to do a “chop-chop” job and did not follow correct procedure.

Community members voiced great concern over the matter as they felt that this negligence was putting their lives in danger.

48 Illegal connections were removed in Bhekuzulu earlier this year as part of the municipality’s action plan to combat electricity theft.

According to the mayor, most of these were reconnected the very next day.

Jozi Mchunu, who is a war room convener in Bhekuzulu, said that he suspected that many people stopped reporting these illegal connections when the municipality stopped giving rewards to them.

“There used to be a R500 reward that was issued to the people that brought forward the names of people who were getting electricity illegally. After the municipality stopped issuing this money, people did not bother as there was no longer anything in it for them,” said Mchunu.

Whoever is to blame, and whatever the reason is for the high number of illegal electricity connections in town, one fact remains, the town is suffering terribly because of these.

Find us on; Facebook, twitter, and on Whats App 060 986 0731.

Also Read: Action taken against electricity theft.