HIGHLY paid government officials and wealthy individuals are suspected to be among those stealing electricity.

The concerns about electricity theft were raised in a meeting between senior Eskom managers and members of the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Committee in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature.

The committee was informed that 600 000 households are not paying for electricity in the province.

The committee stated that the situation is tantamount to sabotage of critical infrastructure essential for the survival of the country.

The meeting was convened due to numerous complaints from residents and councillors about Eskom not responding in a timely manner to electricity issues. There were also complaints regarding hostile staff.

Chairperson of the committee, Marlaine Nair, said they intended to hear Eskom's side of the story so that committee members could better understand the situation and also form relationships with them.

“The meeting between the committee members and the senior managers of Eskom painted a gloomy picture of the power utility, which should play a key role in driving the economy of the province and transforming the lives of our people.

“Listening to the myriad of electricity challenges we face in almost all parts of the province has made me believe that these challenges cannot be unravelled by Eskom alone,” she said.

She said among these challenges is the ever-increasing number of illegal connections to the power grid, which lead to fatalities and livestock being killed.

“We have heard of instances where wind speeds of less than 10 knots are enough to knock down illegally connected power lines, which can fall on people and cause fatalities.

“In KwaZulu-Natal, we have more than 600 000 households that have bypassed their meters and have not been paying for the electricity they consistently consume for years.

“In this category, we have highly paid government and private sector property owners who have, for some irresponsible reasons, decided to sabotage our nation’s key service. In most instances, the culprits are assisted by unscrupulous Eskom employees to commit this heinous crime and evade capture,” she said.

Also rearing its ugly head, the chairperson said, is the issue of subcontractors who halt key electrification projects, demanding to be given work.

She described this as a clear act of sabotage and theft of taxpayers’ money

“Eskom’s ambitious planned projects for the 2025/26 financial year, including 11,753 new connections valued at R474 million, will be affected if we don’t nip this sabotage in the bud.”

Nair said Eskom employees, who provide the much-needed service to communities, are also targeted by brazen criminals who hijack their vehicles, with a recent harrowing incident occurring in the Eshowe area last week.

“Municipalities are also hamstrung by Eskom's ability to deliver services, as they currently owe Eskom a whopping R2.2 billion, a debt that has accumulated over many years,” she said.

IFP MPL and Cogta spokesperson Otto Kunene said they find it intolerable that there would be such widespread theft. He urged Eskom to immediately disconnect those who are stealing.

“We also urge our communities to protect Eskom staff; they are family people too. If they are attacked by criminals, it disrupts service delivery,” he added.

Energy expert Chris Yelland stated that the issue of electricity theft poses a serious challenge for Eskom, affecting all sectors, including both those who cannot afford electricity and wealthy individuals.

“The issue with stealing is that someone has to pay; it is either through Eskom increasing prices higher than they should be or through the company receiving a bailout from the national treasury,” he said.

THE MERCURY