“The fight against illegal connections in Belvedere, Tongaat, is far from over.” These were the sentiments shared by Tongaat residents who have been battling with power cuts for the past 10 years, due to illegal connections interrupting the electricity supply to the area.
Belvedere has been experiencing power cuts due to the illegal cables connected to the substation and electricity poles along Edmundsbury Street. Despite numerous attempts made by eThekwini Municipality to disconnect the illegal connections, residents said the theft of electricity continues unabated in the suburb north of Durban.
The residents of Belvedere in Zone 3, Flamingo Heights, said the illegal connections are having an impact on their livelihood. They have lost appliances and other electronics which been affected by the high or low voltage.
Nicholas John, a resident of Edmundsbury Street for the past 20 years, told the Tongaat and Verulam Tabloid that the mushrooming of illegal structures in the area has only exacerbated the problem. Approximately 700 additional illegal structures have been erected in the nearby informal settlement, and this according to John, has doubled the demand for electricity.
“The fight against illegal connections is far from over in Belvedere. We have been asking officials to come and remove illegal connections in the area for the past 10 years and it seems like our pleas have fallen onto deaf ears because the City does not have a long-lasting solution to the problem. I have been living in the area for the past 20 years and with the illegal connections, it has been very difficult because those cables burn almost twice a week, leaving our street with no power for at least three days,” said John.
He claimed that the informal dwellers steal electricity from nearby households and rent it out to other settlers, depriving ratepayers of power.
“There are people within the informal settlement who charge shack-dwellers between R200 and R300 a month to have their houses connected. These opportunists are using the current situation to make money from the informal dwellers who are desperately looking for houses,” he said.
Another resident from the area, Vinni Moodley said the impact of power cuts heavily affects the elderly and chronic patients. “Asthma patients, who rely heavily on nebuliser machines are affected when the power goes off. When the power goes off, their family members have to rush them to either a private hospital or any health facility so that they can get oxygen,” Moodley said.
While several calls have been logged with eThekwini Municipality, residents say they are yet to receive an answer or a solution that they are looking for. Upon reaching out to the ward councillor, Dolly Munien for comment on the matter, she said teams from the municipality have been working hard to remove illegal cables.
“A new power box has been installed in the uMbhayi area, however, due to the high electricity demand, the box was overloaded. The municipality has been working hard to fix the crisis. The area is overpopulated with new illegal structures coming up almost everyday. Due to this, informal dwellers resort to stealing power from the ratepayers. The Land Invasion Unit must intervene and remove all the illegal structures in the area,” said the Ward 61 Councillor.
Tongaat SAPS spokesperson, Warrant Officer Manisha Maharaj-Marie said the police have previously made arrests in connection with theft of electricity in uMbhayi. She warned residents to refrain from stealing power as this may endanger their lives.
Over the years, a number of people have been killed in Tongaat as a result of being electrocuted by illegal connections. The latest victim was a five-year-old disabled boy from the informal settlement of Bhaboos Farm. The child, who had not long ago learnt to walk independently, was electrocuted by an illegal cable which was blown out due to the heavy winds on Saturday, 16 February.
“Illegal connections are actually tampering with the infrastructure. Such offences are serious because it costs a lot to repair the damaged municipal infrastructure and can take a person’s life,” said WO Maharaj-Marie.
You can report illegal connections on the toll-free number 080 311 1111, contact the call centre on 080 131 3013. To follow up on a reported fault or power outage, please send an email to electricity.faults@durban.gov.za or call 080 311 1111. You can also report faults via WhatsApp on 076 791 2449 or register a complaint on the eThekwini municipality app.
