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By Botho Molosankwe 
9h ago
Johannesburg – Some residents of Dainfern’s luxurious properties are suspected of stealing electricity bypassing the meters, and some reportedly going more than a year without paying for electricity.
City Power said that as a result of that, on Wednesday they were cutting power to three properties that have 1,098 people who owe a total of R13 million.
Power company spokesman Isaac Mangens said the disconnect operation was part of City Power’s revenue-raising efforts.
“We are targeting those who owe their electricity bill, illegally connected to our network, bypassed meters and meters that have been tampered with to ensure that the customer is not billed correctly.
“There is a house that owes R1.4m. We don’t know how long people haven’t been paying, and we suspect that others simply bypassed the meters while others simply didn’t pay, ”he said.
In July, City Power officials, flanked by police and soldiers, went to Rabie Ridge, Midrand, and disconnected the illegal electrical connections that had been powering shacks and houses in the area.
Mangena said that at the time the illegal connections had caused unplanned outages that had become a source of frustration for Johannesburg residents.
The City of Joburg had apologized to residents for the power outages that occurred in the middle of winter.
Mangena said a private and plainclothes security team would remain in the area to ensure no illegal reconnections were made. She also said metro police and the Rabie Ridge SAPS would continue to patrol the area.
MESS
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