State-owned electricity provider Eskom has connected 47 402 more households across the Eastern Cape to the electricity grid during the financial year ended March 31, at a cost of R830-million.
Further, in Mpumalanga, over 120 households in kaMajika near Hazyview received electricity in their area for the first time on March 31. The electrification of the area began in November 2016, with the dual aim of bringing electricity to the community and ridding the area of illegal connections.
Residents say the provision of electricity will also go a long way in curbing crime in the area.
A further 61 homes in Waterfall Roma in the Bushbuckridge local municipality also had their electricity connected on March 31. Eskom is completing an additional 40 connections in the area.
“Eskom is proud to have electrified these areas and wishes to encourage the residents to respect electricity by not tampering with the meters and other structures. Residents are also encouraged to avoid buying electricity from ‘ghost’ vendors,” says distribution group executive Mongezi Ntsokolo.