The importance of well-maintained public infrastructure can never go understated. Whether in the day to day functioning of the City or the sense of pride felt by citizens, it serves more than just a physical purpose.
Although 2020 has and continues to be a challenging year, City of Johannesburg officials are not thinking of the holidays just yet. City Power, Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) pooled their resources to bring the #KleenaJoburgReloaded campaign to the Roodepoort CBD, 23 November.
JRA would focus on potholes and street verges, while JCPZ trimmed trees and cut away any overgrown shrubbery. The biggest portion of the operation would be dealt with by City Power who tackled the network of illegal connections and tampered meters. The City claims to lose millions because of illegal connections and is working hard to address challenges of overloading on the network.
City of Johannesburg MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Councillor Mpho Moerane, led the operation which involved City Power Revenue Protection Team and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD). “Several businesses, including butcheries, furniture and cellphone shops, bottle stores, and even a church, were found with bridged meters, illegal connections, and unregistered meters,” confirmed City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena.
MMC Moerane lamented the attitude of some shop owners, saying, “It is worrying when those who can afford and have the means to pay for electricity are the ones who are stealing it. These businesses are clearly making money and should be able to help the City reinvest in the infrastructure so that all businesses can have a sustainable and uninterrupted supply of electricity.”
The City is placing an emphasis on revenue collection, and guilty business owners will be hit hard. “They will be fined between R20 000 and R30 000, and must pay 50 percent of the accumulated debt before any payment arrangement and reconnection could be done. Businesses across the City must desist from this illegality and start paying for electricity,” warned the MMC.
The public may direct City Power to the illegal connections that plague residential areas, but they are alert to these problems, and they held disconnection operations in Princess, Matholesville and Zandspruit.
The mounting challenges for the City are numerous but the #KleenaJoburgReloaded is aiming to tackle illegal dumping, potholes, faulty streetlights, blocked storm water drains and the array of reoccurring problems.
