No electricity to Power theft-prone area says ESKOM

Regular blackouts in the Joburg area are being exacerbated by illegal connections… and City Power subcontractors are the guilty parties.

Blackouts lasting weeks at a time, leading to protests, ultimately leading to Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba being forced to intervene and approach Eskom for a solution…These were just some of the scenes which played out in Johannesburg in recent weeks. But they are by no means restricted to Gauteng and may become even more commonplace as Eskom starts to clamp down on illegal connections and nonpayment by cutting power supply to entire areas.

The recent Soweto blackouts, which were caused by the overloading of the Eskom network as a result of meter bypasses, illegal connections and tampering, have also brought the spotlight on subcontractors working for Johannesburg’s City Power, who are accused of soliciting bribes from residents who don’t want their electricity cut off. While Eskom and City Power are battling to keep the lights on, some subcontractors are profiting from, and even exacerbating the problem, while officially charged to do exactly the opposite.

One of the subcontractors for City Power in Soweto, who did not want to be identified, said for subcontractors, reconnecting nonpaying or illegally connected users was an alternative way to make money because they simply do not get paid enough.“The temptation is always there because if someone offers you money upfront to bypass the meter or connect them illegally, you take the money because City Power doesn’t pay its subcontractors well,” he said.

“I can tell you for a fact that most of the guys who do the illegal connections and tampering of meter boxes are guys who work for City Power. They go around the whole of Johannesburg, from Sandton to Soweto, to get extra business from people who have been cut off by Eskom.”

The source, a professional engineer who runs his own business, said he had also illegally connected numerous houses around Freedom Park, Diepkloof, and Orlando in Soweto to make extra money.He said the amount charged for an illegal connection varied according to the area you lived in, and how much you could afford. Contractors could earn between R5,000 and R10,000 extra a month doing the connections.[Courtesy: The Citizen]