Residents of the Marry Me Informal Settlement in Soshanguve township, where five patrollers were killed on Saturday, are living in fear due to alleged extortion by individuals providing illegal electricity connections.
Citing fear of victimisation, they were reluctant to be identified when speaking out about the extortion allegations that have been plaguing their community.
Locals disclosed that they pay R200 monthly for electricity to individuals who have illegally connected them to the grid.
One resident explained that if they are unable to pay the full amount, they must negotiate a payment plan to settle the outstanding balance.
“Failure to pay something towards electricity could result in threats to disconnect the electricity supply,” one resident said.
One of them also corroborated that there are individuals collecting money from households with illegal electricity connections.
However, she couldn't provide details on the amount being paid or the identity of the collectors as her own household does not have electricity.
“I am living next to shacks with electricity but I can’t afford the illegal connection fees because I am dependent on an old-age social grant which is not enough to pay those fees,” she said.
On Sunday, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi revealed he was briefed by the South African Police Service about the ongoing issue of unauthorised people collecting money from residents for various service delivery initiatives.
Lesufi was visiting the settlement after five community safety patrollers were gunned down by unknown assailants in the early hours of Saturday.
The victims were also pelted with rocks and partially burnt - seven of them are still hospitalised.
Lesufi condemned the killing of patrollers and announced that SAPS detectives have been dispatched to crack the case within 72 hours.
The police told Lesufi that certain individuals collecting money from residents claimed it was for essential services like electricity, water, and security patrols.
He was adamant that the issue is fundamentally extortion, highlighting that there were multiple groups involved in the money collection scheme.
He said the alleged mastermind behind the operation is already incarcerated but was still coordinating criminal activities in the community.
Ward 89 councillor Tshepo Malefane hesitated to label the money collection scheme as extortion, instead describing it as an agreement between residents of informal settlements and certain individuals.
“Personally, I wouldn’t call it extortion because extortion is something that people are paying towards something unwillingly. But in this instance communities and individuals illegally connecting them to the grid agree on the payment. It is an agreement between the people and those individuals,” he said.
He said in Soshanguve it has become a common practice in informal settlements for residents to make arrangements with individuals who provide illegal electricity connections.
“As the City of Tshwane council we are not part of those arrangements. What they normally do is that they engage with the communities outside of council and they make illegal connections and sell electricity to residents and that is what is happening in all informal settlements,” Malefane said.
He said the City is currently trying to sort out the issue because it is losing electricity revenue due to illegal connections.
Malefane said he is unaware of any instances where residents of informal settlements are being charged for water.
Police have not yet responded to media questions on the alleged extortion.