The Rustenburg Local Municipality says the joint operation targeting illegal electricity connections in Tlhabane recovered electrical equipment worth R70 000.

The Rustenburg Crime Combating Unit, Revenue Protection Team, SAPS Tlhabane, and Eskom concluded a successful joint operation aimed at curbing illegal electricity connections and usage in the informal settlement in that area. The municipality says the negative effects of the overloaded power grid, power failures and the damage sustained to transformers led to the operation.

“Three contact points from which electricity had been sourced illegally had been identified through earlier investigations at Tlhabane. A 100-metre aluminium conductor cable with an estimated value of R10 000 was recovered at the first mini substation, as well as a 50-metre copper cable worth R2 500,” says the municipality. It further says that during the first leg of the operation, another 100-metre cable was discovered with an estimated value of R20 000, a total of 100 households and a scrapyard business had been receiving electricity supply from the mini substation from this single illegal connection.

It adds that at the second identified contact point, an aluminium conductor cable worth R 12 000 was recovered, as well as a 100-metre suffix cable worth R20 000 was also confiscated. “During this leg of the operation it emerged that over 150 households were receiving electricity illegally from the mini substation,” it further adds.“The third leg of the operation led to the discovery of another illegal electricity connection from a different mini substation, where 20 Eskom ABC meters were confiscated with an estimated value of R5 000 and a connecting cable of about 150-metres with an estimated value of R7 000,” the municipality concludes.

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