Illegal connections leave M’sane in the dark

ANGRY Mdantsane residents who have been without electricity for more than four days are fed up with illegal connections.

NU1 residents claimed the power outages started last month when residents from neighbouring Masizakhe informal settlement starting connecting to an electricity pole.

Zukiswa Maqhina said they would experience blackouts for long periods.

“We have been calling the municipality, but they do not attend to the matter when they do come, so we went to find out what the problem was.”

Maqhina said upon investigation, they discovered a number of illegal connections to the pole.

“The municipal workers just tell us they can’t disconnect illegal connections, so even when they do come they do nothing about our misery.”

Another resident, Busisiwe Malandile, said they had pleaded with the residents in the informal settlements.

“The problem has now escalated because there are more people living there and the pole cannot handle the load and we are the ones suffering.”

Malandile said all the food they had recently bought had gone to waste and they were struggling to even get their cellphones charged.

The unemployed guardian of six said she had to spend her days collecting wood to make a fire to prepare supper for her family.

“Life is difficult without electricity. This whole week I have been waking up at 3am to make a fire to warm the water for the children and prepare porridge for them before they go to school.”

South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) regional convenor Xolani Somaca said the electricity problems was a reflection of poor leadership in the municipality.

“It’s a double failure on the committees involved because they have a responsibility to be responsive to the complaints of residents and find solutions to the challenges the ratepayers are faced with.”

Somaca acknowledged that izinyoka were a national problem, although he “empathised with people living in shacks for the past 20 years”.

“Their right to electricity must not infringe on the ratepayers.”

Somaca said the electrification of shacks should be fast-tracked to avoid the problems from being prolonged.

BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said a raid team had visited Potsdam to remove illegal connections.

“The team is removing illegals from the 66kV structures, which are being used as infrastructure services network.

“If we lose this main feed into Mdantsane, this would result in major repercussions for Mdantsane as a whole.

“After that, the raid team will be going to NU1, 2, 3 and 4 to see what they can do today to get these areas on.”

Matebese said the problem persisted in NU2, 3, 4, 8 and 9 and not just in NU1.

Other areas affected are Reeston, Orange Grove, Duncan Village C section and the Cambridge location, which are presently out due to illegally connected electricity supplies sabotaging the BCM electrical network and resulting in overloading faults.

Ward councillor Landile Vika said he was aware of the problem in NU1.

“The electricity departments are aware of it and they are dealing with it.” —

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