In a bid to address the huge loss in revenue City Power suffers every year due to illegal connections and cable theft, a multi-discipline operation was held on Tuesday, 3 March to curb the scourge.
The operation involving City Power, the police and JMPD focused its efforts on Wards 114 and 97, precisely in the vicinity of Beyers Naudé Drive, and Peter, Marina and Pierre Roads.
Driving past Zandspruit on Beyers Naudé Drive, one can’t help but notice the casually low-hanging and criss-crossing illegally connected power lines running into the informal settlement, which have become ongoing concern.
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“City Power views illegal connections as a criminal activity. They are removed to ensure the safety of the residents, and prevent vandalism of the infrastructure and overloading the network,” said City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena, adding that the power utility loses approximately R2 billion annually due to the problem.
Over and above those issues, Mangena said the scourge disrupts the lives of its domestic and business clients because the power supply becomes unreliable. It causes power outages and in some cases fatalities, especially when unsuspecting children come into contact with the open live wires. Photocells, the light-sensitive sensors that control the operation of streetlights are destroyed, causing streetlights to stay on the whole days. This puts further strain on the network.
At the end of the operation, spokesperson for Honeydew Police Station, Captain Balan Muthan indicated that 17 553kg of cable to the value of R877 650 was removed.
Muthan said they also moved on to Cosmo City to disconnect water to 14 premises.
While such action could cause a revolt in the targeted communities, law enforcement monitored the roads around Zandspruit to ensure stability and the free flow of traffic.
