News24.com | City Power removes 14 000kg of illegal cable connections from Joburg informal settlement

City Power officials conducting an operation at Floyd Shivambu informal settlement.

• City Power removed 14 000kg of cables used for illegal connections in an informal settlement in Rabie Ridge on Tuesday.
• It says some City Power employees and contractors were guilty of reconnecting households after disconnecting them.
• Residents complained they were not warned ahead of the operation.

City Power removed R4 million worth of cables illegally connecting homes to the power grid in the Floyd Shivambu informal settlement in Rabie Ridge, Johannesburg, on Tuesday.

Officials were accompanied by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD).

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the informal settlement was one of many in the City of Johannesburg.

"We have recovered about 14 000kg of cables, exposed wires and our own cables used in these illegal connections. Those cables are worth about R4 million.

"This is a huge success. Local businesses in Rabie Ridge and neighbouring areas owe us R90 million, and domestic and government combined owe us R250 million. Large power users owe R67 million. In total, we are owed more than R408 million," added Mangena.

READ | Joburg on warpath against electricity defaulters after cutting Gauteng treasury over R34m bill

"We are aware of our employees and contractors who, after we have disconnected an area, would go and reconnect it. We are working with law enforcement agencies to arrest them.

"We rely on our officers on the ground to identify culprits behind illegal connections. We have had some of them in the past. We were with our undercover officers identifying spots and people responsible for illegal connections."

Mangena said 10 people were arrested for selling City Power cables and reconnecting households in the Floyd Shivambu informal settlement.

"This is a worrying factor that when we try to deal with illegality, we have people working for the City contributing to illegal connections.

"We won't tire. We will tail them. We won't rest until we arrest them," he added.

Some residents tried to stop officials and were prevented by JMPD officers from doing so.

Instead, they hurled insults at the officials.

Dikhetho Tiro stood outside her yard, watching as black cables were being dragged away.

Tiro said the entire informal settlement was illegally connected.

Struggle

"They came at the wrong time. Our children are writing exams. They are going to struggle to study at night. As a parent, I was unfortunate that I could not complete school.

"My hope for a better future lies in my children who are in school. We steal electricity from street poles. We don't pay for connections. We are doing these connections for ourselves. Tomorrow, we will be told to vote. Our government only love us when it is election season," she added.

Ngoako Morena sobbed outside her shack as it was being stripped.

"I am crying. Where are we going to get electricity again? They don't have mercy. They didn't warn us. We have been living here since 2017. We had pleaded with them on numerous occasions to legally connect our homes.

"In this country, your life has no value when you live in an informal settlement. We are stranded. They should have taken cables connected from street poles, not from our homes," Morena added.