GEORGE NEWS - Any unauthorised electrical connection is illegal and dangerous.
What is an illegal connection?
Whether you're bypassing a circuit breaker to run an extra extension cord or plugging your own wire into an electrical box, an illegal connection is any electrical wiring, device or equipment that is connected in any way to the municipal electrical network to access to obtain electricity without permission and/or payment.
Deadly struggle
Children and animals are most likely to trip over wires that cross roads and shallow ditches, which is sure to result in serious injury or death.
Illegally connected wires generally do not have ground leakage units to protect you from electric shock.
Fire hazard
Because there are usually no circuit breakers on illegal connections, the wires will overheat and cause a fire. Electrical fires are dangerous and should not be extinguished with water, because water conducts electricity, and you can be shocked.
In the dark
Electrical boxes and equipment are designed to handle a certain amount of current. Illegal connections overload those boxes and the power will kick out to protect the grid, leaving entire neighbourhoods without power.
The municipality is also required by law to remove all electric lines from illegal connections before it can reconnect the power, leaving paying citizens without electricity while the illegal lines are removed.
Money badly spent
Electrical equipment is very expensive. Each replacement costs money that could be spent elsewhere in your community.
You can go to jail
Theft of electricity is a criminal offence for which you can go to jail.
Report
Report illegal connections on 044 801 9222/044 803 9222 or 044 801 6300 (a/h).
Report people making illegal connections on 0860 044 044, SAPD 10111 or the numbers above.
Reward
George Municipality offers a R2 500 reward for information leading to the successful conviction of electrical theft and/or vandalism in a court of law.
The witness will have to go on record to the authorities and give his/her name and contact details for the purpose of testifying, but his/her identity will be protected. Log in to 0860 044 044 to be eligible for the reward.
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