KNYSNA NEWS - The Knysna Municipality says reports of illegal electricity connections and the subsequent death of a young boy – as reported in Knysna-Plett Herald on 28 June – is of great concern to the municipality. In the same breath it says there is little that can be done to alleviate the dangers posed to members of the community because it is of their own doing.
In a meeting set-up between the acting manager of Electrical and Energy Services Dave Gyngell, a senior technician and the media, the discussion among others was the fact that informal settlements throughout Knysna was spiralling faster than infrastructure could keep up with, and that there are dangers associated with removing illegal connections.
Web of wires a common sight
Three weeks ago, Knysna-Plett Herald reported on the web-like bunch of wires on sticks used as poles, running into houses, hanging over the roads and dotting the landscape in Concordia and other townships.
At the time, the municipality stated that these wiring connections are illegal in that they do not comply with the wiring code.
“The municipality is, however, not losing revenue as the owner of the electricity box pays for all the electricity used,” they stated.
And two weeks ago, 10-year-old Siyolise Hoza died after he was allegedly electrocuted by an illegal power connection in Bloemfontein, White Location.
The municipality sought to address the issue this week, as they felt the community should know all the facts behind illegal connections and the challenges in the face thereof.
Engineering challenges
“There are engineering challenges in many of the areas affected by illegal connections, whether it is the layout of the ground or whether the properties in question actually belong to the municipality. Simply put, the municipality does not have the resources to disconnect all illegal connections and replace it with a municipal connection that is safe,” said Gyngell, adding that there has been concerted efforts in the past to engage and educate the community regarding the dangers of illegal connections.
“We don't want to compromise the electricity supply to the Greater Knysna area, and we want to keep our people safe,” he said, referring to electrical department employees, who sometimes have their lives and families threatened when they attempt to remove illegal connections.
“Intimidation is a whole new aspect to the challenges we face,” he said, explaining that many residents of townships will take the risk of illegal connections just to have electricity in their homes.
Looking for solutions
“We are also looking at appointing an independent contractor to safely remove the illegal connections, and to educate the community through means of flyers in collaboration with Eskom,” said Gyngell.
Another idea was to investigate the approach adopted by other municipalities in the country and implement it here if found to be ideal.
“This department will also engage with council and specifically ward councillors, to go to their communities and explain the dangers of illegal connections,” he said.
Gyngell said there were a number of investments by the municipality in the township areas, where electricity infrastructure was a priority.
“Millions of rands are being spent and the projects are being rolled out in stages. There are several areas which will soon actually see the groundwork being done to bring electricity supply to their communities. But again, this is a long-term plan and we will find ways to discourage illegal connections to avoid any calamity in the near future”.
Read a related article: Knysna boy electrocuted
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