OSHAKATI – Illegal electricity connections and meter tampering remain a significant concern for the Northern Electricity Distributor (Nored), particularly in informal settlements.

This was revealed by Nored spokesperson Simon Lukas in an interview on the recently-concluded Token Identifier (TID) project.

 He revealed that 520 electricity meter boxes out of over 140 000 were found to be bypassed or illegally connected, with 80% of these cases occurring in informal areas.
“Part of the rationale put forward by people engaging in these highly risky and criminal activities is the slow rollout of electricity, particularly in informal settlements,” Lukas said.

He added that those who commit such acts are of the view that electricity is very expensive, hence illegal connections are the only way they can obtain this service.
Lukas said there is a lack of awareness regarding the dangers and costs associated with illegal connections, including increased operational expenses, safety risks for those involved, infrastructure damage and hazards for Nored staff who work on the installation of electricity.

He noted that illegal connections are detected through a combination of methods, including routine inspections by field technicians, monitoring of power consumption patterns through meter readings, collaboration with law enforcement, public awareness and community meetings.

Nored intends to intensify community awareness campaigns to educate residents on the consequences of these criminal activities.
-Nampa