The boys aged between six and eight were electrocuted in Jika Joe informal settlement on Saturday.
City Power is targeting illegal connections in businesses and residential areas as part of operation ‘Kleena Joburg’.
Eskom conducted an operation to remove illegal power connections in Diepsloot. But unhappy residents said they needed it for their safety and that government only came when they needed the votes. #Eskom #Diepsloot
The power utility visited the informal settlement on Tuesday morning to disconnect illegal connections.
On Saturday, the Metal Theft Unit acted on a tip-off and caught three suspects with three metres of electric cable and 13 bundles of copper wire at a house in Westbank.
The utility said it was taking action to address overloading on the network and to recover lost revenue caused by illegal connections.
Some parts of Orange Farm have gone without electricity for months after a power transformer exploded. The affected residents have revealed how the lack of power has affected their quality of life in an already struggling community.
City Power raided the area along with police and disconnected dozens of homes that had plugged into the grid illegally.
A convoy of Johannesburg Metro Police Department, SAPS, and City Power officials arrived in the area on Wednesday morning.
This after the power utility was accused of refusing to repair a power transformer that exploded in Diepsloot, which left residents without electricity for over five weeks.
Community members said they have lost businesses and can't keep warm because of the prolonged power outage.
By Dr Jack & Curtis.
The power utility is bleeding dry as 80% of Soweto residents are in arrears which amount to R17 billion. EWN takes a closer look at how this came about.
Mayor Herman Mashaba and other officials cracked down on business premises where it appears that contractors have illegally connected water and electricity supply.
The City of Johannesburg cracked down on business premises where it appears that contractors have illegally connected water and electricity supply in recent months.
JMPD spokesperson Wayne Minnaar says that some residents were fined for non-payment.
The suspects were handcuffed on Wednesday after an investigation conducted by the city and the Ekurhuleni Metro police.
The suspects own a business which has an electricity account in arrears of about R500,000.
