Polokwane Municipality gives amnesty to those with illegal water, power connections

>> The amnesty period will run until 31 August

The Polokwane Municipality is affording amnesty for illegal electricity and water connections.

Residents who turn themselves in during this period will be offered an opportunity to normalise their connections without a penalty.

Municipal Spokesperson, Thipa Selala says the municipality is calling on all residents, who have illegally connected electricity or water, to come forward and disclose their illegal connection.

Selala says meter tampering constitutes fraud and can result in criminal charges laid against the property owner or occupant. After the amnesty period, customers, who are found to have tampered with their metres, will be held liable.

As a result, no mercy will be shown to those connected to the municipal grid illegally and those actions will be subject to council approved penalties.

“Those who have tampered with their electricity or water meters can disclose these acts to the revenue protection unit. Those that come forward, will have officials from the municipality visit their homes or locations where the meters were tampered with.

The officials will be able to set everything straight without the customer being penalised for the tampering.” According to Selala meter tampering includes the following bypassed and faulty meters, faulty keypad or customer interactive unit, no meters where customers have connected straight through, stolen or illegally bought meters from electrical contractors and technicians or any individual, illegally connected meters, breaking of seal, interference with the meter or municipal wiring, piping or other installations in any unauthorised manner. Selala says should residents who are guilty of the above, not disclose this information, a minimum additional charge of R70 000 for residential consumers and minimum of R150 000 for business and industrial consumers may be instituted on their accounts.

He adds that consumers are urged not to accept any tampering of meters by municipal representatives or any other person claiming to be a municipal representative as the council will levy penalties to the consumer’s account.

The application forms for amnesty are available at the municipal offices or website under the link www.polokwane. gov.za and must be returned to the municipality or be e-mailed to revenue protection unit at rpu@polokwane.gov.za.

The amnesty period will run until Monday, 31 August.