Ga-Rankuwa community left with no choice but illegal electricity connection

PRETORIA - Using illegal electricity connections has become the only option to keep the lights on for hundreds of informal dwellers in Ga-Rankuwa, north of Pretoria. 

Community members at the Bringa Ville squatter camp in Zone 21 told Eyewitness News that they pay R170 per month to keep their homes lit, via middlemen who make it happen.

Residents allege the area has been without electricity since the first informal structure was erected in 2016.
 
They said they are not ashamed of flouting the system, adding that their calls for government help have fallen on deaf ears.

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After protesting for better service delivery, Bringa Ville squatter camp residents decided to use what is known as "izinyoka" connections to light up their homes.

Illegal connections at the informal settlement are hard to miss, with cables running from electricity poles to several households in the area.

A resident who spoke to Eyewitness News on condition of anonymity said she's aware of the risks associated with "izinyoka" connections but said she had no other choice.

“The municipality hasn't bothered to connect us to electricity, they don’t even know that there are illegal connections here. So, I don’t think the government cares at all about informal settlements.”

She said some residents paid a once-off fee of R3,500 to have their homes permanently connected to "izinyoka" electricity.