Exactly 45 minutes from the city of Johannesburg is the township of Finetown. It is a location with one of the highest incidents of illegal electricity connections. Land occupiers often connect illegally to electricity meant for the yard owners by force. The illegal connections were condemned by a Mr Zulu who said “Ugesi owaka rhulumente” (meaning ‘electricity belongs to the government’).
These illegal connections have caused problems and 19 July marked 25 days without electricity in Finetown. Community members chose representatives to go to Eskom Palm Springs on Friday, 17 July and came back with a report that was given the next day, in the early morning. According to the report, Eskom states that residents don’t pay electricity. The report also states that Eskom needs more information regarding the number of transformers in the area that will be extended to accommodate the large numbers of households in Finetown. In the meantime it is the community’s responsibility to find ways to buy electricity directly from Eskom.
Finetown community leader Lindiwe Mlungwana is set to give feedback to Eskom on behalf of the community; “we are willing to cooperate and wait for the transformers. Mr Zulu will take out illegal connections until this is done”.
The community of Finetwon hopes to soon be as connected to the electricity grid as the rest of the bright city of Johannesburg.
This article was submitted on 19 July 2020. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
Sisanda Lwana Kulima is a Community Healthcare Worker and Advocates for social justice in society. She is also an Activist who believes in the inevitability of socialism.
Lwana-Kulima currently writes for the Forum News and Karibu in her capacity as a member of the Forum of Activist Journalists.
