Buffalo City Metro is losing up to R10-million a year due to cable theft.
Addressing the metro’s electricity indaba at the Regent Hotel on Friday, BCM’s revenue protection manager at its electricity department Chris Gower said: “From cable theft alone, we are losing R8- R10 million a year.”
He said figures show that more than 100000 households in the metro were connected illegally.
And even as they battle the ever-rising number of illegal electricity connections, “our department is currently 59% understaffed with only one team on the ground while at least another three teams are direly needed”.
He said the critical staff shortages in the engineering department meant that since October 2015 meter-readers had been unable to read meters in King William’s Town, a revenue loss of more than R2.4-million.
Also present at the indaba was Silesh Mansingh from Eskom, BCM Mayor Alfred Mtsi and representatives from the Department of Energy, South African Revenue Protection Association and the Border-Kei Chamber of Business.
The indaba was tasked by BCM council with determining obstacles to electricity for metro residents.
The officials were also asked to establish options for improving its accessibility, as well as ways and means to clamp down on cable theft and illegal electricity connections.
Mansingh said the annual national loss to electricity theft was R7.5-billion.
He added there was “a R225-billion shortfall between 2013-2018 as per the multi-year price determination 3 (MYPD3)”.
He said South Africans experienced electricity outages, compromised their safety, the economy also slowed and jobs were being lost because of electricity and cable theft.
Mansingh said part of the reason electricity theft was out of control was that communities tolerated or even condoned it.
“The campaign must therefore not only deal with criminals but mobilise law-abiding South Africans to stand against electricity theft.
“It is not the fear of being punished that deters criminals but the fear of being discovered. Perception management is therefore an important agent of behaviour change,” Mansingh added.
He said not even 15% of electricity thieves believed that they would be prosecuted.
“Although it may appear convenient to increase tariffs, the national energy regulator South Africa doesn’t allow it, which means as a country we need to find ways to make people who are stealing, pay for electricity.”
Gower said politicians found themselves between a rock and a hard place, as they made commitments to their constituencies which were not achievable.
“Councillors are in a tricky situation because politics are at play in communities with no electricity. They promise electricity when they know there are budget constraints and sometimes illegal connections are condoned,” said Gower.
Acting infrastructure services HoD Luyanda Mbula said the municipality had to forge partnerships with the private sector and find new ways to solve old problems.
“We need to enforce bylaws and reinforce the rapid response team and the non-ferrous theft combating committee. We also need to introduce new intelligent holistic technology systems for meter reading while we also build stronger relations with businesses and civil society,” said Mbula. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
Cable theft costs BCM R10m/year
Addressing the metro’s electricity indaba at the Regent Hotel on Friday, BCM’s revenue protection manager at its electricity department Chris Gower said: “From cable theft alone, we are losing R8- R10 million a year.”
He said figures show that more than 100000 households in the metro were connected illegally.
And even as they battle the ever-rising number of illegal electricity connections, “our department is currently 59% understaffed with only one team on the ground while at least another three teams are direly needed”.
He said the critical staff shortages in the engineering department meant that since October 2015 meter-readers had been unable to read meters in King William’s Town, a revenue loss of more than R2.4-million.
Also present at the indaba was Silesh Mansingh from Eskom, BCM Mayor Alfred Mtsi and representatives from the Department of Energy, South African Revenue Protection Association and the Border-Kei Chamber of Business.
The indaba was tasked by BCM council with determining obstacles to electricity for metro residents.
The officials were also asked to establish options for improving its accessibility, as well as ways and means to clamp down on cable theft and illegal electricity connections.
Mansingh said the annual national loss to electricity theft was R7.5-billion.
He added there was “a R225-billion shortfall between 2013-2018 as per the multi-year price determination 3 (MYPD3)”.
He said South Africans experienced electricity outages, compromised their safety, the economy also slowed and jobs were being lost because of electricity and cable theft.
Mansingh said part of the reason electricity theft was out of control was that communities tolerated or even condoned it.
“The campaign must therefore not only deal with criminals but mobilise law-abiding South Africans to stand against electricity theft.
“It is not the fear of being punished that deters criminals but the fear of being discovered. Perception management is therefore an important agent of behaviour change,” Mansingh added.
He said not even 15% of electricity thieves believed that they would be prosecuted.
“Although it may appear convenient to increase tariffs, the national energy regulator South Africa doesn’t allow it, which means as a country we need to find ways to make people who are stealing, pay for electricity.”
Gower said politicians found themselves between a rock and a hard place, as they made commitments to their constituencies which were not achievable.
“Councillors are in a tricky situation because politics are at play in communities with no electricity. They promise electricity when they know there are budget constraints and sometimes illegal connections are condoned,” said Gower.
Acting infrastructure services HoD Luyanda Mbula said the municipality had to forge partnerships with the private sector and find new ways to solve old problems.
“We need to enforce bylaws and reinforce the rapid response team and the non-ferrous theft combating committee. We also need to introduce new intelligent holistic technology systems for meter reading while we also build stronger relations with businesses and civil society,” said Mbula. — mbalit@dispatch.co.za
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