Connection plan still needs funding
Child electrocuted
WE grieve after the death of young Luniko Njikilana, electrocuted because of unsafe illegal connections near his home (“Mom’s horror at finding her toddler dead”, January 18).
An expectation has developed (largely due to election promises over the years) that everyone is entitled to a supply of electricity. This has resulted in people moving into and living in informal settlements demanding electricity, and, if it is not supplied, becoming part of the black market that exists in most informal settlements.
There are people in every township who make their living supplying electricity illegally, at a price.
A few years back, the previous regime made the decision to disconnect all illegal connections. Tyre-burning and protests resulted, and the municipality was forced to reinstate the illegal connections.
Clearly, we have not wanted a repeat of this anarchy. We have been most concerned, throughout, about the threat to life posed by the illegal connections.
Over the past years, no proper plan was put in place to fund the removal of illegal connections and the replacement of these connections with a safe and stable supply put in place by the municipality. Over the years, the number of illegal connections has grown to many thousands.
The current government of the metro will not be held accountable for the failures of the previous regime. We will, however, do everything we can to rectify them, particularly where lives are at risk.
A business plan was developed a few months back, detailing how every illegal connection in the metro could be removed and be replaced with a legal, safe, basic supply of electricity. In some cases this would be from the current network and in areas where this was not possible, solar panels would be used to generate the electricity.
The supply would be sufficient to operate lights, a TV, a small stove, etc, and would be provided at no cost to the informal resident. The metro calculated that it would need R150-million to address all illegal connections in this manner.
An application was made to Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson for the necessary funding. It is common practice that national departments support local governments with high-budget projects.
In July last year, Joemat-Pettersson was in Nelson Mandela Bay electioneering for her party. She announced publicly that she would make the requested funding available to allow us to eradicate illegal connections.
However, since the elections we have been unable to obtain the funding from her office. I have, on numerous occasions, requested meetings with the minister and mayor Athol Trollip has written to her on the matter, but to no avail.
We have been concerned that a death could occur at any stage. And now it has.
Late last year, an amount of R3-million was identified to allow the eradication of the illegal connections along Community Street in Walmer. We are very nearly ready to commence with the installation of the new supply.
Electricity and energy directorate officials will investigate every aspect of the death of Luniko. We will take whatever action we can to render his family’s community safe.
I have already reported the death of this young boy to the energy ministry and, again, requested that the funding that could have saved his life now be made available. I have visited the family of the deceased toddler, together with the ward councillor, Ncediso Captain, and officials from electricity and energy.
We must do all that we can both to meet the expectations of our residents that they should receive a (safe) supply of electricity, and to prevent any future injuries or deaths through electrocution.
Annette Lovemore, member of the mayoral committee for infrastructure, engineering, electricity and energy, NMBM