Tshwane won't cut illegal power connections

The City of Tshwane will not remove illegal power connections in Mshogoville informal settlement despite the fact they have been identified as the cause of power outages to Saulsville township.

Pretoria - The City of Tshwane will not remove illegal power connections in Mshogoville informal settlement despite the fact they have been identified as the cause of power outages to the nearby Saulsville township.

Instead, the city would install a mini power sub-station for people living in the squatter camp within three weeks. The promise was made by MMC for economic development and planning Subesh Pillay at a meeting with the affected residents on Monday.

The Pretoria News has seen video footage of the meeting attended by residents who have been negatively affected by the illegal power connections.

At the meeting Pillay told residents of the city’s plans to deal with illegal connections. He said the city would take down the overhead cables connected by the informal residents to power lines supplying Saulsville residents.

The plan was to dig trenches for cables that would be linked to a mini power sub-station for the Mshogoville residents. A separate sub-station would be installed at the township, he said.

“That is the solution we are putting on the table. We have made a commitment on the other side (Mshogoville) that we will provide solar lighting. We have a space of three weeks in which we need to get our house in order.”

Illegal power connections have been a bone of contention between the informal settlement dwellers and Saulsville residents for more than five years.

The squatter camp dwellers were accused of illegally connecting power from the overhead power lines supplying the township residents. At some stage the fight between the two parties resulted in the informal dwellers pelting the homes of township residents with stones.

Pillay appealed to residents to desist from resorting to attacking each other.

“During this time we should not find ourselves having to deal with power outages,” he said.

On Wednesday township residents marched to the local municipal offices where they barricaded the entrance with rocks and destroyed the main gate. Dustbins were emptied in front of the entrance by angry protesters.

Municipal officials were forced to call it a day in the morning because of the tense situation.

Residents pointed fingers at one of the city managers, Stan Maduna, who also addressed the meeting. According to them, Maduna promised to end the repeated power outages by increasing power capacity to supply both settlements.

Community representative Lesley Maake said the march was as a result of the ongoing illegal connections, which caused power outages in many households.

“We have made several efforts - in vain - to request the city to intervene.

“They have now promised to increase the power capacity. How do you increase power capacity for people who had connected power illegally?” he said.

The illegal dwellers always reacted with violence when told to stop the illegal connections, he said.

“Our electric appliances have been damaged because of the illegal connections.”

Resident Eric Malatjie said the city’s plan to provide a mini sub-station for informal residents was being done to attract their votes in the municipal polls.

City spokesman Selby Bokaba said the city would provide temporary electricity to informal residents “so that there is a semblance of peace between the two settlements”.

The city would not put up permanent infrastructure at the place because it was dolomitic, he said.

Previous efforts by the city to disconnect power from the informal settlement were met with a hostile reaction from those living there who pelted city workers with stones, Bokaba said.The city had enlisted the services of the SAPS and metro police, who could not go there in the dark because of the situation.

He said the city team tried to negotiate with the protestors on Wednesday, but they were held hostage.

“Some sustained injuries and had been hospitalised,” he said.

The city had appointed a contractor to install underground electric cables on Monday.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za

Pretoria News