City Power disconnects illegal electricity supply in Vlakfontein
A convoy of Johannesburg Metro Police Department, SAPS, and City Power officials arrived in the area on Wednesday morning.
VLAKFONTEIN - The Vlakfontein community, south of Johannesburg, was divided over electricity supply as City Power swept in to cut illegal connections on Wednesday.
The utility disconnected power to houses that were selling electricity illegally to the residents of a nearby informal settlement.
City Power said it lost R2 billion annually due to illegal connections.
#CityPowerRaids Vlaakfontein is a problematic area for City Power. It costs City Power millions annually because of illegal connections. Some residents in Vlaakfontein have illegally connected power to an informal settlement called Phumula Nqashi nearby. KM pic.twitter.com/NFAVkzsfVZ
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) June 3, 2020
A convoy of Johannesburg Metro Police Department, SAPS, and City Power officials arrived in the area.
But just across the street, the mood was sombre. The residents of Phumula Mqashi - a nearby informal settlement - were devastated as their power supply was disconnected.
#CityPowerRaids Mme Roseline Tsotetsi is a resident in Vlaakfontein. She has been selling power illegally from her house to the residents of Phumula Mqashi, a nearby informal settlement. pic.twitter.com/SjMWp3NEpC
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) June 3, 2020
“We don’t like this, and we know it’s illegal, but we’ve got children who need electricity to study. We can’t do anything because we live here,” said one resident.
City Power said they would rely on the police to ensure that the illegal connections were not reconnected.
