KATLEHONG, Gauteng — Residents of Katlehong Extension 4 in Ekurhuleni are demanding urgent government intervention over a severe electricity crisis that has left the community without power for more than 20 years. Despite having access to running water, the neighbourhood lacks electricity and adequate sewer infrastructure, even as a neighbouring extension has already been fully serviced by municipal authorities.
The Katlehong electricity shortage has forced roughly 180 households to resort to illegal connections, with cables running along the ground from their homes to a substation in the nearby Mafuken extension. While residents acknowledge the dangers of the makeshift power supply, they say years of unanswered appeals to both the municipality and Eskom have left them with no viable alternative.
A Private Developer’s Abandoned Project
The roots of the Katlehong basic services crisis trace back to the area’s origins as a farm that was purchased by a private developer. According to residents, the developer abandoned the housing project midway through construction, leaving the community in a prolonged state of limbo.
Residents subsequently turned to the City of Ekurhuleni for help. While the municipality eventually succeeded in providing running water to the area, the critical issue of electricity supply was never resolved. Community members say their repeated pleas over two decades have fallen on deaf ears.
“We started staying here in 2002, and we didn’t have electricity since then,” said Baba, a long-time resident and community spokesperson. “We were going from pillar to post looking for help from the municipality, but not until today.”
Baba explained that residents were eventually advised to connect to the power grid illegally. Eskom initially took action against the unauthorised connections, but the situation shifted when an Eskom manager reportedly permitted the arrangement to continue.
Serious Safety Risks for Children and Women
The Katlehong electricity crisis has created alarming safety hazards throughout Extension 4. Exposed cables snaking across the ground present a constant electrocution risk, particularly during rainfall. Children walking through the neighbourhood are especially vulnerable to the dangerous infrastructure.
Beyond the immediate threat of electrocution, the absence of functioning street lights and traffic signals has deepened safety concerns in the area. Non-operational street lighting has left roads and walkways in darkness, raising fears about violent crime — a particularly acute concern for women navigating the neighbourhood after dark.
The safety implications of broken street lighting have drawn attention at the provincial level, with the Gauteng Premier recently highlighting the urgent need to repair street lights across the province to improve visibility and public safety.
A Community Caught in the Middle
Residents of Katlehong Extension 4 describe feeling trapped between the private developer who walked away from the project and a municipal system that has only partially addressed their needs. The contrast with neighbouring Mofokeng, which has received full electrical infrastructure, has only deepened the community’s frustration and sense of neglect.
While the residents understand the risks associated with their illegal power connections, they maintain that access to electricity is essential for daily life and that they have exhausted every formal avenue available to them.
The community continues to call on the City of Ekurhuleni and relevant authorities to deliver the basic services — particularly electricity and proper sewer infrastructure — that they say they have been owed for over two decades.
