RESIDENTS of Burundi squatter camp in Mfuleni, Cape Town, said they would continue connecting electricity illegally.
They said they would do this until the City of Cape Town installed electricity in the area.
Resident Malizole Femele (49) told Daily Sun they had been waiting for power for too long.
“Some sections have electricity and others don’t. That’s why we connect straight from the transformer.”
Another resident, Misikhaya Makeleni (51), said they’d been protesting for electricity for five years but nothing had happend.
“They lied about moving us to another area and we’ve been waiting for more than four years. We will continue to connect electricity illegally while we wait. They can arrest all of us if they want to,” said Misikhaya.
Another resident said it was not their fault the city had not kept its promise.
“The illegal connections are killing our children. I wish residents could wait for the city, but I know the feeling of not having electricity. The city needs to fix this before illegal connections kill us all.”
Councillor Phindile Maxiti said the portion of Burundi which is not electrified is located on a wetland and the structures will have to be relocated to land that is electrified.
“The residential electricity reticulation policy states informal settlements located on wetlands may not be electrified for safety reasons. Ongoing illegal connections place pressure on the existing infrastructure and affect electricity supply to the area.”
