ILLEGAL connections in the Gqeberha communities have led to countless injuries and even death. The municipality insists that the cries for help have not fallen on deaf ears as they work towards eliminating the need for illegal connections.
This week saw the NMB Municipality make a move towards assisting the community of Motherwell in this regard. Electricity and Energy Portfolio Head, Cllr Lance Grootboom, officially switched on legal and safe electricity connections for the community.
This comes after the City completed phase 1 of the electrification project in the Khayelitsha informal settlement, switching on a total of 214 homes on Wednesday, March 1, 2023.
During the joyous celebration, MMC Grootboom said the city was committed to removing illegal connections which had reportedly killed at least two people in 2022 in the area.
One of the lives lost was that of a 4-year-old girl who was electrocuted when she touched a fence at the Vukani shack area in NU9, Motherwell.
“We have heard reports of deaths and injuries due to illegal electricity connections. In October, a mother from this community died due to these deadly wires. We have more than 800 informal houses in this community and we are saying we have now completed phase 1 of the project with these 214 houses. We already have infrastructure up to cater for the remaining 600 shacks, what is outstanding are the meter boxes for inside the houses.”
“We will come back soon and connect the remaining homes as we know electricity is a basic need. We want to complete the entire project by the end of the financial year to ensure that our people have safe and stable electricity supply in winter. We thank them for their patience, and we hope they will enjoy this service responsibly,” said MMC Grootboom.
Ward 55 Councillor, Thanduxolo Doda said the development was welcomed as the area was covered with illegal connections posing a danger to residents, especially children.
An excited resident, Nandipha Ndlela expressed her gratitude for the completion of the project.
“We were paying R150 a month to get an illegal connection. But there were so many risks that came with the connection. Although we will still be paying, at least we know we are paying for something legit now. We are happy the illegal connections will be removed as we lost a child and a young woman in one year from this community. Some got lucky and did not die but suffered injuries, so we are very happy,” said Ndlela.
(Information from Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Communications Office.)
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