Tshwane residents have 1 month to declare illegal electricity connections to avoid penalties

JOHANNESBURG - Residents in Tshwane have a month to declare their illegal electricity connections without facing any penalties.

The Tshwane municipality says it loses billions of rands every year due to illegal connections, especially in township and informal settlements.

In a recently released statement, the municipality said it understands sometimes the illegal connections are not done out of malice but due to the rising cost of living.

The capital had a similar programme in 2022, where thousands of residents and businesses came forward and were assisted with connecting legally to the municipality’s grid.  

Municipal spokesperson Zonke Mahlangu has encouraged residents to take up this opportunity to avoid disconnections in the future.

“Customers who have tampered with their electricity meters are invited to come forward and declare at our customer care centres or electricity departments. There after they will be issued with a form for their meters to be normalised and be exempted from paying a tamper fee. The amnesty period ends on the 31st of March 2025.”