Areas of Zandspruit and Cosmo City were brought to a standstill on 3 March after the Police, Metro Police, security companies, City Power and their independent contractors engaged in a joint operation to disconnect illegal electricity connections on 3 March.
The Police, Metro Police and security companies were there to observe the situation as the City disconnected illegal electricity connections.
The City and contractors disconnected dangerous illegal electricity cables connected to substation boxes, running intertwined across Beyers Naude Drive into Zandspruit.
Some residents were not happy with the disconnections and some minor protest action flared up, with residents burning tires.
Police were on hand with rubber bullets and tear gas in case the situation worsened.
Honeydew police spokesperson Captain Balan Muthan said that the issues of illegal electricity connections is something that has been plaguing the area for many years.
“This is not the first time we have engaged in an operation like this, this is something that has been ongoing for many years. Each time we, with the help of the City, disconnect these illegal and dangerous connections, they are back up again within a few weeks,” he said.
City Power cleared up most of the excess cables to be hauled away for storage. No serious incidents were reported.
“We would like to thank all police members, the JMPD and City Power with the help of their contractors for engaging in a successful operation today. We hope to continue operations like this into the year,” concluded Muthan.
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