Pretoria - Two imposters were arrested for illegal electricity connections in Theresa Park, north of Pretoria, recently.
The duo, impersonating Tshwane metro contractors, were found reconnecting electricity without a job card last week.
Tshwane Metro Police’s Nonhlanhla Tapala said a member of the public registered a complaint that people had illegally connected electricity linked to their place of residence.
She said the police officers rushed to the scene to find the group dressed as municipal workers tampering with the electric box outside the house. The two were not able to prove to the metro officers that they were indeed municipal employees.
“We discovered there was no job card issued for the reconnection. So because they could not prove that they were indeed municipal workers they were arrested on charges of tampering with essential infrastructure.
“The area is known for illegal connections while businesses in and around get fined about R10 million for the illegal connections while households will pay R200 000 if found to have illegally connected their power.”
In addition to the fines, the City will lay criminal charges and pursue recovery of lost income.
The metro has since encouraged residents to report illegal connections. Mayor Cilliers Brink said: “We need communities to assist us by reporting illegal connections because this is within the knowledge of local people.”
He said the municipality would not tolerate such incidents and would act “decisively. Electricity theft and vandalism of infrastructure do great damage to the city’s essential property”.
Pretoria News