Authorities need to plug in on community concerns

A situation in Gingindlovu needs serious attention.

Residents in Hillview Extension 5 are openly making illegal electrical connections.

Apart from the dangers involved, it is against the law – something the residents admit to, but say they have no choice.

In fact, they issued a plea to authorities to ‘not make us criminals’.

At the core of the problem, according to the community, is the fact that they were moved from an area where they previously had electricity with promises that electricity would be supplied by Eskom once they settled in Hillview.

That was nine months ago and frustrated residents claim the uMlalazi Municipality, whom they approached to put pressure on Eskom to speed up service delivery, is not taking their concerns seriously.

The Hillview community cannot understand what the hold-up is since power lines are available to service street lighting – the source of their illegal connections.

This is causing friction with a neighbouring suburb which is often plunged into darkness as makeshift tapping overloads transformers.

All the residents spoken to agreed that they fear prosecution and understand the hazards of having live wires running through their neighbourhood, but as one summed it up, they are ‘desperate to live their lives as they did before’ when they had electricity.

Looking at the photographs of the network of exposed cables and plastic bags used as connection point ‘insulation’, it is clear that the situation is a catastrophe waiting to happen, especially with ignorant young children in the vicinity.

This cannot be allowed to continue under any circumstances. Eskom and the municipality must attend to the issue without delay and find a solution.