The FF Plus will no longer tolerate illegal electricity connections in the Ekurhuleni Metro, so, last week the party pressured the Municipality to address the problem.
As a result, about a thousand illegal connections were removed in the Witfield and Balmoral areas.
The FF Plus received a complaint from a resident of Witfield last week. The Metro was informed at once, whereafter the illegal connections situated mainly in Wit Deep Road and Hoofrif Road were removed.
The Metro is planning a second operation in the Lillanton and Balmoral areas after initial operations were halted by rain.
An investigation revealed that shops in Hoofrif Road, which are primarily owned by foreigners, are the culprits consuming electricity for free at the expense of law-abiding residents.
Unauthorised electricity cables were installed from a traffic light in Hoofrif Road to the shops.
In another incident, shop owners illegally obtained electricity from a streetlight in Urwin Street.
llegal electricity connections pose the following risks to the Municipality:
โข Safety hazards: Unauthorised connections could result in fires and electricity problems endangering lives and property.
โข Loss of income: The Municipality loses revenue through unrecorded electricity consumption.
โข Overloading infrastructure: Illegal connections could overload the electricity network leading to power outages and damage to infrastructure. Which, in turn, necessitates repairs.
โข Legal and regulatory issues: Municipalities could face legal and regulatory challenges if they fail to address illegal connections, which may potentially lead to fines.
โข Social and economic impact: The prevalence of illegal connections could foster a culture of lawlessness and undermine the community’s faith in municipal management.
The FF Plus will keep monitoring the situation and ensure that more of these clamp-down operations are executed to protect the community’s interests.
The FF Plus wants to encourage all residents to report illegal electricity connections via the Ekurhuleni app or their local councillor.
