150kg Of Aluminium Wire Seized In Illegal Connections Crackdown

City Power has confiscated over 150 kilograms of aluminium wire valued at R500 000 during a disconnection operation in the Princess Informal Settlement in Roodepoort.

The operation, carried out yesterday, targeted illegal connections supplying power to informal structures and nearby properties, including businesses.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena explained that inspectors found a complex network of aluminium wire illegally connected to streetlights and routed through fences to various structures.

Mangena says, "We appeal to the residents to desist from doing this thing of illegal connection because we are losing as City Power. We are losing money to make sure that there is material when there are outages, we are losing money to make sure that there is maintenance of the infrastructure so that it can continue to operate optimally going forward."

The power utility has emphasized that illegal connections pose serious risks, including fatal electrocutions, and has called on residents to stop these practices. - Reporting by Nonhlanhla Ntshingila.