The City of Ekurhuleni has embarked on an illegal connections clean-up operation at the Dukathole informal settlement in Germiston.
A multi-disciplinary team led by the municipality’s Energy Department descended on the township in the early hours of Tuesday morning to remove power cables, mostly running underground. This comes after four transformer exploded in the area recently with illegal connections being pinpointed as the culprit. According to Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the City, the aim of the operation was to restore the electrical network in the area and reduce the burden on its electricity network.Plans underway for upgrades
“The operation was part of the city’s plans to ensure that all illegal connections have been uprooted before the technicians commence with upgrading the damaged infrastructure. The illegal connections are the main cause of an overloaded electricity supply grid, which results in persistent power supply interruptions experienced in the area,” he said. Electrical infrastructure components such as transformers, switchgear and cables were also destroyed. Meters for the illegal connections were also discovered in the operation.
“Plans are underway to install new transformers and other damaged electrical equipment to stabilise the supply of electricity,” Gadebe said.
