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Eskom cracks down on theft
TWO Eskom technicians at a house to attend to a case of illegal connection in Las Vegas, Thabong, in Welkom during an audit last week Thursday. } Teboho Setena SEVERAL cases of electricity theft were investigated in Welkom and Thabong during Eskom’s operation Khanyisa last week. Eskom embarked on a campaign to conduct an audit, and disconnect illegal electricity connections from poles to the homes of the culprits in the wake of the crisis in Free Sate municipalities to pay bills of millions of rands. The Maluti-A-Phofung, Ngwathe and Dihlabeng Municipalities were reported to owe Eskom R736 million for the supply of power with the supplier threatening to suspend supply until the municipalities came up with a suitable payment plan with the power utility. Eskom reportedly extended the deadline to the municipalities in question giving them sufficient time to settle their arrears.
This followed intervention by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs. In Thabong, culprits were found to have made illegal connections from poles in order to have an uninterrupted power supply – costing the Matjhabeng Local Municipality millions in illegal connections. Illegal connections were found to have been made at houses with prepaid meters. Upon uncovering illegal connections, the Eskom team immediately disconnected the power supply and issued the perpetrators with fines ranging from R2 000 to R3 000 – depending on what the investigative team had found. Re-connections were only done after the perpetrators had provided proof of payment for fines imposed. The results of electricity theft through illegal connections in the Matjhabeng Local Municipality are yet to
be released. The initiative to catch defaulters and curb electricity theft is a national behaviour-change campaign led by Eskom in partnership with Crime Line, Business against Crime South Africa, Business Unity South Africa and the South African Local Government Association, aimed at promoting the legal, safe and efficient use of electricity in South Africa. According to Eskom, enforcement actions over the three years (2010 – 2014) have yielded success with more than 60 convictions against culprits and more than 130 arrests relating to illegal connections. Furthermore, Eskom stated that in excess of R292 million in revenue had been recovered and R76 million in revenue from illegal connections. Approximately 80 000 cases of illegal connections and meter tampering were reported.
MORRIS PHIRI, Eskom’s technician, attends to an illegal connection in Las Vegas, Thabong. Photos: Teboho Setena
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