A Mdantsane church is allegedly using an illegal electricity connection from which to draw power.
However, all parties connected to the church claim not to have noticed this.
When a Daily Dispatch team visited the church on Tuesday morning, it followed wires connected to a streetlight pole on the Qumza Highway, along a trench dug through a field, which then ran past the side of the church and ended alongside the wall of the building.
The wires could be seen disappearing into a hole in the wall of the church building, under a leaking plumbing pipe.
The field in which the trench had been dug and where the wires lay exposed has a fair amount of foot traffic.
Although the church doors were open and music could be heard inside, the burglar gate was locked and no one responded to shouts from the team.
The Dispatch was alerted to the connection by a concerned member of the public, Sithembele Matwele.
This came after Matwele claimed he saw four people, including Buffalo City Metro (BCM) Mdantsane ward councillor Senduka Maphuka, tampering with the cables on the pole on Sunday.
Matwele, who posted the alleged incident on his Facebook page, said it was around 1pm when he witnessed the alleged tampering.
“The four men were dressed in formal shirts and ties, and were using a stick to tamper with the cables on the pole. One of them was councillor Maphuka,” he said.
When called for comment Maphuka confirmed he was a member of the church and that he was at church on the day in question. However, he denied tampering or even seeing any izinyoka cables.
“I am a member at the church but have no knowledge of izinyoka connections. What I know is that the church uses a generator for power supply,” said Maphuka.
In an attempt to contact the church leader, the Dispatch called the cellphone numbers displayed at the church, one of which was was answered by a woman who introduced herself as the speaker of the church, Nyameka Gqokoma.
Gqokoma, who said she had been a member of the church since 2015, said she had never seen any illegal electricity cables.
When asked about the trench in front of the church door with visible wires running into the church, Gqokoma said she had never seen any trench or wires.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said the matter would be referred to the illegal disconnection department for investigation.
Church denies illegal power lines
However, all parties connected to the church claim not to have noticed this.
When a Daily Dispatch team visited the church on Tuesday morning, it followed wires connected to a streetlight pole on the Qumza Highway, along a trench dug through a field, which then ran past the side of the church and ended alongside the wall of the building.
The wires could be seen disappearing into a hole in the wall of the church building, under a leaking plumbing pipe.
The field in which the trench had been dug and where the wires lay exposed has a fair amount of foot traffic.
Although the church doors were open and music could be heard inside, the burglar gate was locked and no one responded to shouts from the team.
The Dispatch was alerted to the connection by a concerned member of the public, Sithembele Matwele.
This came after Matwele claimed he saw four people, including Buffalo City Metro (BCM) Mdantsane ward councillor Senduka Maphuka, tampering with the cables on the pole on Sunday.
Matwele, who posted the alleged incident on his Facebook page, said it was around 1pm when he witnessed the alleged tampering.
“The four men were dressed in formal shirts and ties, and were using a stick to tamper with the cables on the pole. One of them was councillor Maphuka,” he said.
When called for comment Maphuka confirmed he was a member of the church and that he was at church on the day in question. However, he denied tampering or even seeing any izinyoka cables.
“I am a member at the church but have no knowledge of izinyoka connections. What I know is that the church uses a generator for power supply,” said Maphuka.
In an attempt to contact the church leader, the Dispatch called the cellphone numbers displayed at the church, one of which was was answered by a woman who introduced herself as the speaker of the church, Nyameka Gqokoma.
Gqokoma, who said she had been a member of the church since 2015, said she had never seen any illegal electricity cables.
When asked about the trench in front of the church door with visible wires running into the church, Gqokoma said she had never seen any trench or wires.
BCM spokesman Thandy Matebese said the matter would be referred to the illegal disconnection department for investigation.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos