FREE ELECTRICITY – just connect your shack with Eskom’s sub-station!
All you need is a cable of sufficient length – no electrical experience required!
The law-abiding people are paying a hefty price for electricity while the masses in the townships connect their shacks via a cable to the nearest sub-station and get free power. They run heaters, satellite TV decoders, have lights, can cook without having to pay a cent. While the legitimate consumers are constantly reminded to switch off all electrical equipment, not in use, especially told to turn off geysers and pool pumps.
Illegal connections have been ongoing for years, and Eskom has done little to alleviate the problem. When they do send out the police and troops to track down the freeloaders not much is done. Eskom will disconnect but within a day, the scroungers will re-connect and have the free electricity.
It is a vicious circle and last year Eskom the power giant and local councils armed with the police set about to disconnect all illegal connections in one township Zandspruit, east of Johannesburg. The residents were not happy and protested by hurling rocks and burning tires. Roads had to be closed during the protests, causing more disruptions.
Load shedding (blackouts) have been happening since 2008 and Eskom always contributed this to maintenance problems, wet coal, and lack of diesel. Now load shedding according to Eskom is not going on, the problem is the illegal connections.
Watch the video as a cable thief tries to connect to free electricity and gets burnt in the process. Why do people risk their lives to get electricity? Most shack dwellers do not have access to electricity or running water and tamper with cables to light up their lives. For years, people in squatter camps have succumbed to stealing electricity. The worst part is that live wires lay on the ground, and children often get killed.
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