Shack-dwellers threaten residents over illegal connections

Johannesburg - Formal homeowners in Riverlea, Joburg, are living in fear following alleged threats by informal settlement dwellers who steal electricity through illegal connections.

The residents claim Zamimpilo informal settlement dwellers have threatened to vandalise their homes should they cut off their illegal electricity supply.

They have for the past five years, connected their electricity illegally, while City Power is accused of turning a blind eye.

The residents spoke to The Star anonymously. “We were gatvol of their actions and decided to start cutting off their cables from the electricity boxes. We have been doing this for a long time, but lately it got dangerous when we started receiving threats from the dwellers, threatening to vandalise our homes,” said a resident.

She claimed 80% of the dwellers were foreign nationals also involved in illegal mining. “There is a mine on the other side where they get the cables to connect the danger boxes. They are armed with dangerous weapons and always walking in groups of 20 to 30.”

She added that the connections were disrupting power and damaging their appliances. “The box cannot hold the load, it then explodes and burns our appliances,” she said.

The Star visited the area and found there were exposed cables on the road and street lights. Some cables going into the informal settlement were hanging on trees, while others were under sewers.

There were also notes on the danger boxes. One note read: “You disconnect, we burn the box and vandalise your properties. We’re not animals but if you want to invite war, disconnect.”

City Power said it engaged with the community at the weekend and promised to have an operation to remove the illegal connections.

The Star