RESIDENTS TO GRAPPLE WITH POWER THIEVES
Threat after defiant locals vow to continue with illegal power connections
Family live in fear after threats in Komani
The Maho family in Mlungisi township in Komani is living in fear after a group from Aloe-T informal settlement allegedly threatened to burn down their house and the mini electricity substation on their property if they did not let them illegally connect electricity.
Nolufefe Maho said the problem started three weeks ago after Aloe-T residents allegedly illegally connected electricity in the mini substation.
“I personally don’t have a problem with the people stealing electricity but the problem is that they are invading our private property. We have reported the matter to the municipality but they have done nothing to solve the problem,” she said.
Last week, police had to be called in to disperse the protesting informal settlement residents, she said.
“Since then, the problem is becoming worse as these people want to connect their illegal connections. We had to ask a security company to put a full time guard at the house to protect us from the crowd,” she said.
She claimed that residents from the informal settlement were threatening their visitors too.
“I have reported the matter to the Enoch Mgijima municipal manager Chris Magwangqana, the office of mayor Sisisi Tolashe, our ward councillor Bulelani Mgoqi and the municipality’s technical service department but they have done nothing to solve the problem,” said Maho.
She said she wanted the municipality to remove the mini substation from their yard as it had put their lives in danger.
Aloe-T ward committee member Vuyokazi Ndzini did not deny Maho’s allegations. She said they had been demanding that their shacks be electrified for five years without any success.
“After pleading with the municipality to put electricity in the area for years, we decided to do the illegal connections,” she said.
Ndzini said the municipality had neglected them for too long.
“We pay R5 to charge our phones. We want the municipality to put electricity in our area and we won’t steal electricity again. We have been staying in these shacks for more than 30 years and we are not demanding houses. We only want electricity,” she said.
Another resident, Zanele Mhluthwa, vowed they would continue illegally connecting electricity until the municipality electrified their shacks.
“If they don’t address this we will have to burn the minisubstation and show them that we are serious,” she said.
Enoch Mgijima municipality spokesperson Gcobani Msindwana said municipal workers had attended to the matter and disconnected all the illegal connections.
“We are also looking at removing the danger [substation] from the house to prevent putting the lives of that family in danger for municipal property,” he said.
The problem is that these people are invading our property