Lion Park area plunged into darkness after Eskom removes illegal transformers

Residents of Lion Park Road, near Lynnfield Park, were left in the dark after Eskom disconnected and removed 54 illegally connected transformers supplying electricity to about 1 400 households.

The disconnections led to major disruptions after the MR477 Lion Park Road in ward 3 of Mkhambathini Local Municipality was blockaded with boulders, bricks, burning tyres and rubble, preventing motorists from entering or leaving the area.

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The community acknowledged its electricity connections were illegal, but said repeated attempts to obtain legal connections had been unsuccessful.

The area falls under the administration of the Azibuye Emasisweni Amaqamu Community Trust.
Eskom’s senior manager for customer services in KwaZulu-Natal, Dadewabo Mbele, said the utility lost about R14 million annually through illegal electricity connections in the area.

She said numerous engagements with stakeholders had failed to resolve the matter and that Lion Park had grown to more than 1 400 households over the past 12 years.

The area consists largely of high Socio-Economic Measure (SEM) households with the capacity to pay for services. The properties have been developed on land that was redistributed and is administered by a community trust. Members of the community have constructed extensive illegal electricity infrastructure, including poles, lines and transformers, to supply power to approximately 1 400 households.

“This illegal network taps into the adjacent Eskom electricity networks,” Mbele said.

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Mbele said Eskom was legally obliged, under its electricity distribution licence and the NRS 048 Code, to remove illegal connections and ensure a safe and reliable electricity supply; illegal connections placed significant strain on the network, increased the risk of outages and posed serious safety hazards.

Eskom proposed a temporary bulk electricity supply point at the boundary of the trust’s land about six months ago, but the proposal, which required a deposit before construction could begin, was rejected by the trust and the community, Mbele said.

The long-term solution remained the formal rezoning of the land and the implementation of an electrification project, she said.

A group claiming to represent residents in the area had unsuccessfully approached the Pietermaritzburg High Court in June to stop Eskom from removing the illegal infrastructure.

The matter was struck off the roll and costs were awarded in Eskom’s favour.

Eskom’s group investigations and security general manager, Tembela Kulu, said illegal connections endangered lives and damaged critical infrastructure.

“Our teams will continue to support the audit and removal of illegal connections to protect Eskom’s assets, the integrity of the electricity network, and our employees’ safety,” Kulu said.

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Resident Ntokozo Ndlovu said the community wanted to be legally connected to the Eskom grid and urged government and other stakeholders to speed up the electrification process.

Mkhambathini Mayor Nhlakanipho Ntombela said the municipality had asked Eskom for time to engage the community after the utility agreed to a bulk electricity supply.

This is a difficult situation, and Azibuye Trust has gone to the High Court to try to overturn the interdict that allows Eskom to disconnect and remove illegal transformers.

“We will join them in court after we have addressed the community,” Ntombela said.
Azibuye Trust chairperson Mlungisi Khanyezi said the trust intended to file an urgent court application to prevent the disconnections.

“People have been saying they have no problem paying for electricity, but the process between Eskom and the community seems to have stalled.

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“We will work out a way forward and consult the relevant parties,” Khanyezi said.

The outcome of the application was unclear at the time of publication.