Cable theft: AfriForum challenges Ekurhuleni’s unfair reconnection fee

Residents in the Ekurhuleni Metro who are victims of power outages due to cable theft must now pay R1 725 per household before the Metro will restore power supply. AfriForum now strongly challenges this unfair practice – which is not made enforceable by any promulgated by-laws or official policies – and urgently demands answers in this regard from the Metro’s Municipal Manager, Dr Imogen Mashazi.

According to Jurie Ferreira, AfriForum’s District Coordinator for the East Rand, four households in the Metro recently had to pay R1 725 each for a stolen power cable before the Metro carried out the necessary repairs. “Not only does this practice place an unfair financial burden on victims of crime it also creates considerable confusion among residents,” explains Ferreira.

A municipal memorandum outlining the procedure for reconnecting power after instances of cable theft was issued in 2023, but to date, no promulgated by-laws or official policies have been made available on the Ekurhuleni website, which, according to AfriForum, compromises the enforceability of the memorandum. In addition, there are clear inconsistencies in the application of the fee. Although the memorandum states that only the person reporting the problem will be held responsible for paying the reconnect fee, in practice it is applied very differently, and every household dependent on the stolen cable is forced to pay for the reconnection.

According to the letter Ferreira sent to Mashazi yesterday, the Metro’s mayor, Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, also stated in a recent media interview that there is no formal policy on the reconnection fee after cable theft. Xhakaza further indicated that individuals found guilty of tampering with electrical infrastructure are the only ones subject to the reconnection fee.

“We demand immediate clarity from the Metro on the legal and policy framework on which these reconnection charges are currently based. The punishment of residents for circumstances beyond their control without a clear legal basis is unacceptable. If Ekurhuleni wants to enforce this fee, they must first get their house in order and establish proper regulations,” Ferreira emphasises.

AfriForum is now awaiting a formal response from the Metro and will continue to protect the rights of residents.