Metro disconnects 800 illegal electricity connections

Metro Workers Rip out illegal Connections.

City of Tshwane pushing ahead with disconnecting Illegal connections in West informal settlement.

Some of the illegal connections were made with stolen Tshwane metro infrastructure.

Last Tuesday, the Tshwane metro and Metro police disconnected 800 illegal electricity connections at the Brazzaville informal settlement in Pretoria West.

Metro utilities and regional operations MMC Daryl Johnston said the SAPS helped with the operation.

“An estimated R400 000 of electrical material was removed, including 11kV overhead lines, aluminum conductors, and aluminum aerial bundle conductors,” he said.

“Our teams also removed three medium-voltage transformers, a significant set of stolen infrastructure.”

Johnston said illegal connections are the reason many areas experience power trips after load-shedding, which result in extended power outages.

He said the theft of City infrastructure makes the power outages even worse.

“Furthermore, illegal connections cost the City hundreds of millions of rand in damages to infrastructure and repair costs,” Johnston added.

“These result in significant non-revenue losses that destroy the City’s finances.”

“An estimated R400 000 of electrical material was removed, including 11kV overhead lines, aluminum conductors, and aluminum aerial bundle conductors.”

Johnston said the metro will continue to implement measures to prevent illegal electrical connections.

He added that this operation was one of many measures implemented to protect City infrastructure.

Source: Rekord Pretoria