JOHANNESBURG - Three companies - Redefine Development in Wilgeheuwel, and Ormonde and Tetelestai in Willowbrook - were on Tuesday caught stealing electricity and water from the City of Johannesburg.
“Illegal connections seriously hamper the city’s ability to deliver quality services to the people of Johannesburg,” Mayor Herman Mashaba said during a raid to crack down on illegal connections.
The mayor said the city will calculate the costs of the electricity and water that was stolen and recover the money from the culprits.
Mashaba was accompanied by MMC for Finance, Funzela Ngobeni, and the city’s COO Floyd Brink.
He said during a similar operation last week, it was found that close to R9 million had been lost in revenue due to illegal connections to the city’s services by the three developments that were targeted.
Picture: Thembelihle Mkhonza/ANA.
“We do not wish to shut off their water and electricity, but we have to make sure that everyone follows the Rule of Law,” said Mashaba.
Video: Thembelihle Mkhonza/ANA.
The aim of this disconnection operation was to identify those developments which were non-compliant and connected to the city's water, electricity and sewer services illegally.