Residents in Edmundsbury Street, Tongaat, have found themselves facing near-constant power outages, which they believe stems from the illegal electricity connections used to power homes in the nearby informal settlement of Umbayi. Councillor of Ward 61, Dolly Munien, says there are short, medium, and long-term plans to alleviate the situation.
Munien said: “I do feel for the homeowners on Edmundsbury Street, as the first complaint I received regarding this issue was on 17 November 2016, when we had a resident come to our offices and complain about a power outage. Despite multiple interventions, the issue has persisted since.”
A resident of Edmundsbury Street, Ivan Pillay, said: “With the current situation we are facing, we are having power outages on a daily basis due to the illegal connections and the increased strain they are placing on the existing infrastructure. This is a problem we have been facing for years. On this road, we have little children, students, people going to work, the elderly, and the sickly, who all need power to get through their day. We are paying for power and being cut off; however, these guys are stealing power, and it’s fine with them. We as a community have tried to tell these guys that what they’re doing is unsafe and needs to stop. In response, we have received threats to our lives and threats that homes would be burned down if the illegal connections are removed. So, what do we do? Who do we go to?”
Fellow resident, Veni Moodley added: “Our residents have suffered for quite some time, facing spoiling food, damaged appliances, and the potential danger to life posed by the connections. Children are forced to study by candlelight. Every day, we have power for maybe two to three hours; the rest of the day, there is no power. When seeking out help from the municipality, it was initially very difficult to get a hold of them. Now we know where to go and who to speak to get our power sorted, but again, it only lasts a few hours; we basically do not have power. Municipal representatives did attend our recent meeting and did tell us there is a way forward. I hope this proves to be true, as these illegal connections need to stop.”
According to Munien, in 2019, the residents of Umbayi were given a box to access power, but due to the demand required by the informal settlement, the box exploded. Not knowing their rights, the residents did not report the incident and continued with the illegal connections, leaving the ratepayers to suffer the consequences.
A representative of the Umbayi informal settlement, Andile Ndunge, said: “We as the residents of Umbayi want power, but the connections we are using are illegal and not safe. As much as the ratepayers are affected, we are affected as well. We need power, but these illegal connections are not good for either side. It is not our intention to negatively impact the residents of Edmundsbury Street, but we are forced to make the illegal connections because we need electricity. Without electricity, we cannot cook or store food; we cannot eat. If the government can provide us with electricity, we will no longer need the illegal connections and can stop this dangerous activity.”
Munien added that speaking with the municipality has led to solutions being put into place with immediate effect. “Our long-term plan is to fully electrify the community of Umbayi by providing pre-paid electricity meters by 2030, to eliminate the community’s dependence on the illegal connections. In the medium term, 250 people will be relocated from the settlement to newly constructed homes, which will be ready by February 2027. However, as specified in our meeting with the municipality, we have a database of 2000 people, but the actual resident numbers are approximately 5000, so the housing officials need to make adjustments. I am waiting on a meeting with the Human Settlements; should that go well, I will have positive feedback for this community.”
The municipality has also enacted a short-term plan, on which work has already begun. “We are currently engaged in a short-term plan to reduce the outages by reducing the load on the transformer for this road. The plan is to move the connections of some of the residents on this road to another road’s transformer. This is in progress as we speak,” said Munien.
