CHRIS VICK: In their own words: why people steal electricity

Eskom estimates that it lost more than R22bn in revenue in 2022 from illegal electricity connections, R7bn of which was in Gauteng. To provide context: the electricity stolen was enough to avoid two stages of load-shedding.

Illicit connections and smart meter tampering — known as “bridging” or “breaching” — has intensified as blackouts have increased. As those who can afford to “move off the grid” have installed their own solar power and inverters, poorer people — and dishonest middle- and upper-class people — have moved off the grid in their own way by tapping into the growing network of illegal connectors.

But why do they do it, if it’s dishonest and illegal — not to mention dangerous?

Mobilize, a non-profit agency that’s running a campaign called Energy Comms to build understanding of the energy crisis, recently ran a series of focus groups among communities in the West Rand, Johannesburg, eThekwini and uMgungundlovu to understand why.

We found the practice was not just widespread but that residents often saw nothing wrong with it. It was seen as a legitimate reaction or response to poverty, and to a government either unable or unwilling to provide basic needs such as electricity. It was, therefore, effectively “justified”.

“People bridge because they don’t have money to buy electricity due to poverty and struggles,” said a resident of Mohlakeng in the West Rand district. “You may find that there is no-one in the house who is employed. You find a mother, who does not even have pension, she stays with the children and there is no source of income. That’s why some people bridge.”

“In my opinion people steal electricity because it’s very expensive to buy it,” said a resident of Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal. “You can buy R100 worth of electricity but it will last you for just two days or one-and-a-half days. I think this could be one reason why people are stealing electricity.”

The people who carry out the illegal connections are well known in their communities — and they too seem to have a justification for their illegal activity.

“There are people who connect electricity illegally. They do this because they don’t have jobs and then decided to steal electricity,” said another Umlazi resident.

A resident of Mofolo in Gauteng provided more context: “In my community, most of the people are not working and young men and women are just loitering in the streets. Households have up to three generations and there may be one or two people who have an income, a pension or so. They cannot even afford to buy food. So if they need electricity, they bridge it.” 

Part of the rationale put forward by people who obtain electricity illegally is that they cannot obtain it legally.

“We have been applying for electricity since 1992. We were told we will not get electricity because we are illegal occupants where we have built houses,” said one Umlazi resident. “We know a lot of people who have connected electricity illegally, and we are in the same situation as them.”

“Those who have built shacks often say they obtain electricity illegally. Sometimes this is through illegal connections, other times it is because they breach their meter boxes. They have electricity in their houses without the meter box working,” said one Inanda resident.

Said another: “A lot of people breach their meters. Some of them can get R20 worth of electricity to last a whole month.”

So who’s doing the connecting?

Across the focus groups, many participants said it is common knowledge in their communities who to contact if they want an illegal connection, particularly when it comes to rigging smart meters. These include municipal workers and other public officials — including law enforcement officers — who are skilled in connecting or disconnecting electricity.

“People from the municipality give us the smart meter codes to make money. They want money, so they get it directly from us,” said one Mohlakeng resident. Said another: “The people who fix the boxes are the ones who know how to bridge, and they’ve shown us how to do it.”

An Inanda resident provided similar testimony: “It’s people we know ... they often use young boys to help them do the actual bridging. The other day I saw one boy coming down the electricity pole on a stepladder in broad daylight. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was helping my neighbour with their meter box up there on the pole.

“So it’s people that are known by the community. They also assist the community when they need help as the municipality people take their time to arrive.”

‘Easy to steal’

Said another Inanda resident: “Electricity is easy to steal. Even amateurs can do it. And the municipality is failing us because they take their time to register people who applied for electricity. As a result, these people end up stealing the electricity.”

And an Umlazi resident — who admitted to helping out with illegal connections — said: “I need money and electricity. If there are people in need of electricity, I can connect for them illegally. Money makes us take risks.”

Though participants felt that illegal connections are wrong and contribute to the overall pressure on the national energy grid, they said they felt they had no choice.

When one of our facilitators asked whether it is a good thing for people not to pay for electricity, they got the following responses: “In my opinion, this is not a good thing, but people are forced to it because they don’t have money.” Another response: “It’s not a good thing to connect illegally because we are destroying our economy. Eskom will not be in a position to hire people as there is no money coming into the company. Although that is not a good thing, people are forced by the fact that they don’t have money.”

So what’s the solution? Is there one? Or is bridging yet another consequence of the corruption arising out of inequality, poverty and decline?

There was a strong feeling within the communities we researched that the government could certainly do more to address the problem, including being more responsive to the overall energy supply imbalance.

Participants felt a slow rollout of electricity — particularly in informal settlements — creates opportunities for izinyoka (the people who do illegal connections) and corrupt public officials who illegally connect residents and give them access to other ways of bridging electricity.

The study also revealed that residents who have sought help with faulty meters or reported illegal connections often got no response from the authorities.

Either way, it seems that “bridging” is yet another part of SA’s poverty puzzle.

• Vick is chair of Mobilize, which launched the Energy Comms campaign energycomms.co.za earlier this year to build public understanding of the energy crisis.