Residents march in protest

Cindy Liebenberg
DISGRUNTLED residents of Ocean View in Jeffreys Bay participated in an illegal march last Thursday to show their unhappiness with the Kouga Municipality for discontinuing the electricity supply to their homes.
Claiming their councillor Eric Mahlathini "sold them out”, the group tried and get an audience with him and the top management of the municipality.
Although the strike was illegal the local police kept a close watch on the marchers, but made no arrests. However, officials at the municipal offices were quick to lock the gates leaving the complainants outside.
Municipal spokeswoman Laura-Leigh Randall said illegal wiring had been cut.
She said the municipality had been informed on Thursday that two residents were illegally supplying more than 50 other residents with electricity.
"The one supplier was furthermore "stealing” electricity – in other words, he had overridden his electricity box so that he could draw electricity without having to pay for it. He was then selling this electricity (he obtained for free and illegally) to other residents,” said Randall.
She pointed out the hazards connected to illegal electricity and said: "The boxes from which the illegal electricity is supplied, is not made to handle this amount of electricity, which means the electricity to the whole area trips regularly if this illegal wiring is not removed.”