17 September 2024
Like other residents of Refilwe Extension 10, Tshwane, Steven Matambatshika has resorted to illegal electricity connections, but he worries that the live wires in the streets are a danger to his family. Photo: Warren Mabona
Illegal electricity cables litter the dusty streets of Refilwe township, east of Pretoria. Residents fear for their children’s safety after two cows were electrocuted in Extension 10, where people have connected to households in Extension 9, which has formal electricity.
People are unwilling to remove the cables themselves for fear of electrocution or retaliation from residents who use the connections. They want the City of Tshwane to remove the illegal cables and provide safe electricity.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said there are 760 households with 3,800 people in Extension 10 but not enough capacity to electrify them.
“The area will be electrified as soon as the City completes the new Wildebeests Infeed Station,” he said.
The City will conduct an operation to disconnect the illegal connections, he said.
Steven Matambatshika, resident since 2016, hired an electrician to illegally connect, although he worries about the danger.
“This illegal electricity is not safe, and it often trips while we are cooking, but we use it because we are desperate for power.”
“I know which wires are open and have power here in the streets, but my dog does not know. I fear that it might suffer an electric shock and die,” he said.
Jan Kiheri also says he knows it’s dangerous but that he has no option. “I started living here in 2016 and I have always hoped that the municipality would electrify this area, but that did not happen,” he said.
“We are stealing electricity from Extension 9 because our municipality has failed us. We sometimes spend a month without this illegal electricity because it often goes off. This is because most of us do not even know how to fix it when it is broken and we are scared that it might kill us.”
Kiheri said the two cows were electrocuted two months ago.
“Our streets are dark at night. This makes it difficult for us to avoid walking on these electric wires,” he said.
Residents also want the City to provide more toilets. Resident Ncobile Nkosi said the City provided chemical toilets three years ago, but women and children are scared to use them at night. They want proper toilets in their yards.
Thomas Ncube said chemical toilets are usually for informal settlements, whereas Extension 10 was formalised in 2017.
The City spokesperson said it was financially impossible for the City to provide a chemical toilet for each family.