Eskom nails 600+ households in illegal connection raid

Power utility Eskom has nailed over 600 informal households for illegal connections in Gauteng during a raid in collaboration with the South African Police Service (SAPS), City Power and Eskom-contracted security personnel.

During the raid, the groups uncovered a large-scale illegal electricity operation at three houses located on a farm, which was heavily guarded, in Leeupoort near Fochville in Gauteng.

“Intelligence investigations uncovered that stolen electrical equipment was being used to supply electricity illegally to nearby informal settlements in exchange for payment.

“Over 600 informal households were illegally connected to electricity provided by the farmer,” it said.

The illegal operation had led to an estimated financial loss of more than R6.6 million for Eskom.

During the raid, authorities recovered critical infrastructure, including two transformers (2x100kVA and 1x50kVA) and 150-meter boxes belonging to City Power and Eskom.

The farm owner, suspected of orchestrating the illegal activities, has been arrested and is in custody at Fochville Police Station.

The suspect was charged with tampering with essential infrastructure and malicious damage to property, including illegal redistribution and resale of electricity.

Eskom said it has been investigating the case since 2018, with the property being disconnected multiple times. However, the farmer repeatedly reconnected the power supply.

The affected area has been disconnected.

“Tampering with or damaging critical infrastructure is a criminal offence under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act, with penalties of up to 30 years’ imprisonment.

“Such activities disrupt essential services, pose serious safety risks, and undermine the sustainability of the electricity network,” Eskom said.

Zero-buying users

The clampdown on illegal connections follows other successes in tackling unlawful users of electricity in the country.

The recent token (TID) rollover project related to prepaid electricity meters was also a significant victory for the utility as it managed to convert an estimated ‘zero buying’ prepaid customers into paying customers.

“Zero buyers” is a euphemistic term used by Eskom to describe customers who use electricity but do not pay for it through legitimate channels or at all. These customers were/are purchasing units from ‘ghost’ vendors or may have bypassed or tampered with their meters.

Ahead of the 24 November TID rollover deadline, Eskom reported around 2.1 million prepaid units as being these types of users. Following the deadline, 1.7 million remain.

As part of the utility’s strategy to clamp down on non-vending meters, tampering and illegal power use, the group set a new deadline—13 December 2024—to ‘assist’ zero-buyers in converting their meters.

Failure to do so could result in the customers being cut off and having to pay steep penalties and reconnection fines to get back on the grid.

Read: What happens if you miss Eskom’s new prepaid meter deadline