Give us proper electricity or move us, says fed-up Mamelodi community

Rebecca Ramalekana runs a daycare centre at Phomolong informal settlement in Mamelodi and relies on illegal electricity connections to run her business.

The informal settlement was established in 2001 on land owned by the City of Tshwane and is currently home to about 7,000 people. Walking through the area, it is easy to spot the many illegal wires on poles and directly above most of the shacks. Most of the wires are connected to the neighbouring RDP houses in Extension 10.

Ramalekana and her family have lived here since 2004 and there has never been formal electrification. “There are many illegal electricity connections in this place. We are scared of them … I’m worried that my family or these kids I look after might be electrocuted,” she says. “The government must give us proper electricity or move us to another land.”

Ramalekana says the many unplanned power outages they experience makes preparing meals and running education activities difficult. Her daughter also takes medication that needs to be kept refrigerated.

Avela Mjungula said the illegal connections put lives at risk and people are desperate for formal electrification. “Some of these cables are often damaged by strong winds and fall onto the ground while they still have power,” says Mjungula.