The residents of Trenance Park and Parkgate are breathing a sigh of relief after numerous illegal connections were disconnected by members of the eThekwini Municipality Electricity Unit, last week.
After months of complaining about the illegal connections, popularly known as izinyoka (snakes), costing residents in power cuts and lives, the municipality stepped up their efforts to offer relief to the situation. Speaking to the Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid, Allan Dorasamy, said that residents felt as if they were finally being heard as many of them have sustained injuries due to the illegal connections.
Dorasamy said as a resident of Trenance Park he is pleased that the municipality is finally working hand-in-hand with communities to ensure that they are safely connected to the grid and that ratepayers do not suffer at the hands of criminals.
He said: “We understand that times are tough and that is the main reason that there are illegal connections, but we must also understand that these illegal connections can lead to injuries and death, which needs to be stopped. I know many people who have been injured, due to the illegal connections and it is good to note that since the snaking wires have been removed the community is happy. I hope that it does not stop there and that they do regular checks of the area to ensure that the illegal connection do not start again,” said Dorasamy.
Ward 106 councillor, Johnson Chetty said he is pleased that the municipality is becoming proactive in dismantling Illegal connections and called for the perpetrators to be prosecuted. He said it was the only way to stop the syndicates from reconnecting the wires, adding to the vicious cycle.
“Illegal electricity connections are a scourge and a menace to society. There are syndicates that operate in collusion with homeowners. These syndicates steal street lighting cables and also working cables to residential properties which are used to illegally power up homes. The victims of these criminals are forced to be without power for several days. It’s sometimes the reason why our main roads are dark as the street lighting cables had been stolen. These illegal connections have been identified as the reason for people (mostly children) who have been electrocuted to death or sometimes severely injured. The country has a major shortage of electricity and its for this reason we are experiencing load shedding. The people who don’t pay for electricity invariably abuse the supply.”
Cllr Chetty added that illegal connections place a tremendous strain on the grid and that the substations and allied infrastructure were not designed to be overloaded which ultimately results in a trip outs after load-shedding when power gets restored.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela said the electricity unit’s quest to rid the City of illegal connections is gaining momentum.
He said: “The Unit’s Revenue Protection branch led yet another successful major operation in Trenance Park, north of Durban, where bundles of illegal electricity connections were disconnected. Teams stretched their operation to Parkgate where bypassed meters were disconnected.”
