Forty-three percent of South Africans are considered as ‘energy poor’, meaning that they do not have access to adequate, reliable, safe and environmentally benign energy (Sustainable Energy Africa 2015 cited in Baker and Phillips 2018). South Africa’s electricity system has been historically determined by the countries abundant coal supplier and complex of interaction between its social institution, networked infrastructures and technological capabilities (Baker, 2016 cited in Baker and Phillips (2018). Electricity theft is reported as one of the major problems in South Africa, and costs billions of South African rands in losses annually; such theft also ends
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up taking the lives of many people every year (Vuk’zenzele 2011:79). It is an ongoing challenge and it takes many forms, not only the un-electrified residents areas stealing electricity but business with formal reticulation are also stealing electricity (Clarke, 2016:1420).
When Eskom wants to administer electricity in a community, it first looks at the amount of electricity that is needed in relation to the number of homes and residents residing there before electrifying the area (Operation Khanyisa, 2012:27 and Lowvelder, 2016:60). To illustrate this point, transformers to a given community are specifically designed to supply energy to the community’s specific number of households. That is why illegal connections cause heavy loads to transformers and result in unplanned power outages that affect the smooth operation of traffic lights and other essential structures. As such, load shedding is conducted countrywide as a controlled option to respond to such unplanned events and to protect the electricity power system from a total blackout (Vuk’zenzele, 2011:81).
The South African government has included informal settlements in its provision of electrify services as a further means to reduce illegal connections (Bala, The Mercury, 2018:6). While electricity theft, and what it means, differs from country to country, in South Africa, there are three main types of power theft: (i) non-payment by legally connected consumers; (ii) illegal connections to the grid, or directly to cables; and (iii) cable theft for copper wiring (Ndletyana, 2007:96). Electricity theft problems in South Africa started about 16 years ago when Eskom companies adopted the paying policy for electricity usage in the country. Before that, residents were only required to pay the lowest rate, which was about R 24 a month and that price was not even a third of the current charges which resulted in residents failing to pay the demanded amount by Eskom. Due to their inability to pay for electricity, residents experience the continued disconnection of electricity, which, in turn, leads to increased cases of residents connecting to electricity illegally (Operation Khanyisa, 2012:27).
Another one of the main factors that promote an increased demand for electricity is industrialisation, where an increase in the number of industries and the use of machines results in an increased demand for electricity to operate them. Similarly, urbanisation, through the transformation of small villages into towns and cities due to an increasing of the population, also leads to an increased demand for electricity because every new house needs electricity. Case of Kosovo village, Mathare valley –Nairobi conducted by Moses (2013:15) highlighted that during colonial days, travel of African natives to urban areas was strictly controlled by the English settlers and the urban population at that time therefore had its housing needs met. However, after
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independence, the population in the urban centres began to grow because the colonial restrictions on Africans travelling to the city were no more. As a result, the provision of housing was soon overtaken by the rapid urban population growth leading to emergence of squatter settlements for the poor. The response of government to this was poor, the population increased but the government failed to improve the service provision in relevant sectors such as housing. This then resulted in many people opting to settle in slums as they could not afford houses elsewhere (Moses, 2013:14-17). Modernisation and the emergence of new technological devices and facilities such as televisions and mobile phones also demand increased electricity supply. While the loss of electricity due to theft is alarming, there are currently no exact figures in monetary value within the South African context – these losses can, thus, only be estimated (Smith, 2004:2076). South Africa is characterised by circular migration, which means that rural-urban migration is not permanent (Wentzel, 2009:42). This results in overcrowded townships and informal settlements that increase the overall population in cities.
According to Mnyani (News24, 2018:5), there are provinces which are recognised as ‘hot spots’ for illegal electrical connections. Provincially, there are four provinces that are regarded as the worst for illegal electricity connections, namely the Free State, Mpumalanga, Limpopo Eastern Cape and North West. These provinces are reported highest provinces accounting most Eskom’s huge financial loss nationally as it was reported as the highest energy and revenue losses due to illegal connection and meter tempering. To fight this theft and non-payment Eskom has prioritised the hot spots provinces first by launching its 50% discount Incentive campaign in October till 31 December in three provinces. These provinces often include many households that have connected electricity to a single power station without Eskom’s knowledge (Lowvelder 2016:65). In South Africa, electricity illegal connections are one of the most popular forms of electricity theft and power outages may be due illegal connection Molefe (The citizen, 2017). Tempering with municipal meters is a serious problem in SA as millions of rands are lost every day, for example, the Nelson Mandela Bay alone in every seven household it believed to have meter tempering. Business Tech (2014) stated that Eskom loses about 7% of electricity through illegal connections. Yet, regardless of Eskom’s operations and attempts to mitigate electricity theft the fight between formal and informal dwellers is far from finishing as millions of residents still suffer from electricity theft (Coastal weekly, 2018:9).
In Phoenix Sun (2016), an article from 2016 titled City Tackles Illegal Electricity Connections in Belvedere area Tongaat, a reporter noted that a team of electricity officials, which was escorted
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by members from the uThongathi SAPS, worked tirelessly to disconnect live wires and confiscate hundreds of cables which had been carelessly thrown over trees, grass, and makeshift electrical poles and people still continue to risk their and other people’s lives by connecting electricity illegally (see Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.2 eThekwini Revenue Protection Services personnel work tirelessly to disconnect illegally connected electrical wires. SOURCE:Phoenix Sun (2016).