WATCH | Eskom removes transformers and illegal connections

More than 1 000 households at Hardingsdale Farm in Claridge, Pietermaritzburg, were left without electricity on Thursday morning after Eskom removed transformers supplying the area. The power utility says the community of ward 9, under uMshwati Local Municipality, has accumulated about R24 million in illegal electricity connections over the past seven years. Eskom Central East general manager Kevin Pillay said the removal of the transformers was long overdue and followed repeated attempts to resolve the issue with stakeholders.

He said illegal electricity connections deprived Eskom of much-needed revenue required to sustain and improve service delivery in the province. “We urge communities to do the right thing and pay for the electricity they consume. I also thank the South African Police Service and Eskom security teams for their support in removing these illegal connections,” said Pillay.

The disconnection follows years of illegal connections to the Eskom grid, which the utility says placed heavy strain on the electricity network and resulted in prolonged outages lasting up to two weeks at a time. Pillay said the Hardingsdale Farm community has grown to more than 1 000 households over the past seven years. “Members of the community have constructed extensive illegal electricity infrastructure, including poles, lines and transformers, to supply power to approximately 1 000 households.

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This illegal network taps into the adjacent Eskom’s electricity networks,” he said. According to Eskom, the unauthorised connections result in revenue losses exceeding R24 million per year for both Eskom and the municipality.

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