South Africa’s electricity supply is under severe strain due to illegal connections and overloaded transformers.
Eskom, the state utility, has warned that these challenges are widespread and growing.
In Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, residents have been grappling with frequent power outages.
With an official population of over 750,000 people and 167,927 households, Bushbuckridge endures immense pressure on its electricity infrastructure. This results in weekly load reduction schedules.
Since New Year’s Day, some sections of Bushbuckridge have endured less than seven hours of electricity daily.
Illegal connections at the heart of the problem
Others have faced outages for over three months.
Transformers frequently explode, plunging entire neighbourhoods into darkness.
This week, Ward 8 Councillor Eddie Mashego addressed the community of Dwarsloop. He highlighted how illegal connections contribute to the crisis.
“Replacing transformers without addressing the cause will only lead to repeated failures,” Mashego said during a meeting with residents.
Mashego proposed household audits to identify paying customers. However, the suggestion sparked resistance.
Many residents viewed the audits as intrusive and demanded immediate repairs.
Despite the resistance, Mashego did his best to push Eskom to replace the damaged transformer.
Residents push back against being audited
His efforts saw a new transformer installed. But it tragically exploded the same night, plunging the area back into darkness.
However, Eskom has made it clear that repairing transformers without conducting a meter audit will not be tolerated.
“Illegal connections overload our transformers, which are designed for specific loads,” Eskom media desk stated.
“This leads to explosions, fires, and prolonged outages for paying customers.”
Eskom added that replacing a single transformer costs at least R60,000, excluding labour and lost revenue.
Gauteng townships grappling with same issue
The issue extends beyond Mpumalanga, with similar challenges reported in Gauteng.
In Diepsloot township in Joburg, Eskom recently removed 35 illegally connected transformers.
“These illegal activities destabilise the network. They are causing outages for legitimate customers and posing significant safety risks,” Eskom said.
Eskom highlighted the strain illegal connections place on the system.
“Some families keep air conditioners running all day while not paying for electricity,” it said.
“In some households, every family member uses a heater in their room despite having bridged connections.
“This severely affects the supply-demand ratio based on paying customers.”
Billions of Rands lost every year to illegal connections
Eskom loses billions of Rands annually due to electricity theft, tampering, and illegal connections.
“Transformers don’t fail because of poor maintenance. They fail due to overloading and tampering,” Eskom stated. The utility urged communities to help resolve the crisis.
Transformers, which lower high voltage electricity for safe home use, are frequently damaged. And the damage is caused by tampering and illegal connections.
Eskom warned that these activities not only hinder service delivery but also put lives at risk.
Hindrance to service delivery, risk to human lives
Monde Bala, Eskom’s Group Executive for Distribution, emphasised the need for collective action.
“We urge all customers to report illegal connections. They need to buy electricity legally, and pay for what they use,” Bala previously stated.
Bala also highlighted the broader consequences. “Eskom loses billions of Rands annually due to these practices. This is compromising service delivery to paying customers.”
In Dwarsloop, the impact of outages is deeply felt.
Outages have led to increased crime levels
Crime has risen under the cover of darkness in areas that have no private security.
Households also struggle with damaged appliances and rotting food from warm fridges.
Barbara Dosunmo, a Dwarsloop resident, addressed fellow residents.
“We hear them talk about the bridging of meters, but are these transformers maintained? My TV was damaged due to the daily outages.”
For communities like Dwarsloop, cooperation may be the only way to restore a reliable electricity supply.
