Fed-up with being switched off by illegal electricity connections at their rugby ground, club members yesterday turned the tables and switched off the izinyoka themselves.
United Rugby Club (URC) executive member Brian Mayburgh said the IG Foster Grounds in Vergenoeg that the 23-year-old club used for matches and practices had been without electricity for more than three years because of illegal connections.
The wires illegally connected to shack dwellers at B-section informal settlement next to the field had cost the club players, money and opportunities to host games.
“We cannot play or practise at night. We are concerned over the safety of our players, especially the young ones and our spectators.
“A number of players have become demotivated and left the club,” said Mayburgh.
The club had more than 100 male and female players between the ages of nine and 36 years from surrounding communities and schools.
Armed with equipment such as pliers, former players, current players and executive members set out to “reclaim their power”.
While cutting the live wires, sparks flew and two dogs that came in contact with the wires were found dead, charred and tangled in the wires.
The informal dwellers were peeking over the fence to check what was happening.
“The shack dwellers from B-section have infiltrated our space and today we are claiming it back.
“They have hindered the club’s quest of identifying and grooming future rugby players in our communities,” said Mayburgh.
Undeterred by the dangerous sparks, the gruesome discoveries and the possibility of being confronted by the shack dwellers, the members continued disconnecting the wires.
Derrick Bulhoek, who coaches the junior teams, said a few izinyoka had offered to pay the club R20 a month to stay connected.
“But this is not about money, this is about the safety of our players and most importantly, keeping the youth occupied and away from crime and drugs,” said Bulhoek.
Mayburgh said the club had also lost thousands of rands and owed Buffalo City Metro (BCM) more than R20000 on their utility bill.
“We used to hire out the clubhouse for various functions and used that money to pay our utility bill. We cannot pay BCM unless this problem is fixed permanently,” said Mayburgh, who added numerous attempts to get BCM to find a permanent solution to the problem had failed over the years.
BCM could not be reached for comment by the time of writing.
About 500m of wire was disconnected and confiscated, and the electricity boxes were secured with metal boards.
“We can only hope this will be the end of izinyoka and the start of the restoration of the club,” said Mayburgh.
Rugby club ‘takes back its power’
United Rugby Club (URC) executive member Brian Mayburgh said the IG Foster Grounds in Vergenoeg that the 23-year-old club used for matches and practices had been without electricity for more than three years because of illegal connections.
The wires illegally connected to shack dwellers at B-section informal settlement next to the field had cost the club players, money and opportunities to host games.
“We cannot play or practise at night. We are concerned over the safety of our players, especially the young ones and our spectators.
“A number of players have become demotivated and left the club,” said Mayburgh.
The club had more than 100 male and female players between the ages of nine and 36 years from surrounding communities and schools.
Armed with equipment such as pliers, former players, current players and executive members set out to “reclaim their power”.
While cutting the live wires, sparks flew and two dogs that came in contact with the wires were found dead, charred and tangled in the wires.
The informal dwellers were peeking over the fence to check what was happening.
“The shack dwellers from B-section have infiltrated our space and today we are claiming it back.
“They have hindered the club’s quest of identifying and grooming future rugby players in our communities,” said Mayburgh.
Undeterred by the dangerous sparks, the gruesome discoveries and the possibility of being confronted by the shack dwellers, the members continued disconnecting the wires.
Derrick Bulhoek, who coaches the junior teams, said a few izinyoka had offered to pay the club R20 a month to stay connected.
“But this is not about money, this is about the safety of our players and most importantly, keeping the youth occupied and away from crime and drugs,” said Bulhoek.
Mayburgh said the club had also lost thousands of rands and owed Buffalo City Metro (BCM) more than R20000 on their utility bill.
“We used to hire out the clubhouse for various functions and used that money to pay our utility bill. We cannot pay BCM unless this problem is fixed permanently,” said Mayburgh, who added numerous attempts to get BCM to find a permanent solution to the problem had failed over the years.
BCM could not be reached for comment by the time of writing.
About 500m of wire was disconnected and confiscated, and the electricity boxes were secured with metal boards.
“We can only hope this will be the end of izinyoka and the start of the restoration of the club,” said Mayburgh.
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