The community of Kagisanong near Garankuwa in the North West province is calling on government to urgently install electricity in its area following several electrocution incidents. Frustrated members say electricity supply has remained elusive for almost two decades.

And have now resorted to connecting power illegally. They’ve blamed officials for neglecting their area. But the Madibeng Local Municipality says there’s been a land dispute that has stalled development in the area as it belongs to the Bakwena Ba Mogopa tribal family.

Kagisanong View is a village with 6 000 households which was established in 2007. But it’s riddled with illegal electricity connections.

The community connected electricity from the mini substation supplying power to the factories resulting in most relocating. And incidents of electrocution are rife and affecting both residents and livestock.

One family nearly lost their five-year-old child after he came into contact with a live wire whilst playing in his parents’ yard in April last year. He sustained facial and hand injuries and is still receiving medical treatment.

“The child’s condition is now better but he still needs to be operated on. It’s hard staying in an area without proper electricity because it’s like we’re alive but dead at the same time,” says Matlhogonolo Poo, the child’s mother.

A fortnight ago, two siblings aged five and 11 died after being electrocuted due to illegal power connections. Residents have blamed infightings within the Bakwena Ba Mogopa tribal family, for lack of development in the area, as they’re landowners.

According to local leaders, Eskom says that to electrify the area, it needs to build infrastructure and create capacity that comprise of work from the Garankuwa main substation. The scope of work would however include applying for required permits and authorization from relevant authorities.

“We’ll fast-track the process through legal processes because the Madibeng Municipality hasn’t been of any help as well and has failed the community,” says Abram Magagula of the Kagisanong View Development Committee.

“The land in question belongs to Bakwena Ba Mogopa and there have been some disputes between the landowners and the occupants of the land. But since the intervention of the mayor, the two parties were able to agree and we expect the Bakwena Ba Mogopa to sign so that would allow development like electricity to unfold in that area,” says Tumelo Tshabalala, Madibeng Municipality spokesperson.

Popularly known as izinyoka locally, illegal connections are contributing to most of electricity-related deaths and injuries in the country. And costing Eskom billions of rand annually in lost revenue.

“We’ve seen that the point I made earlier on, 2.1 million people just on Eskom account are not paying for their services. That amounts to R2. 5 billion per month, that goes to R30 billion per year. You’d see that the amount of non-technical losses that we refer to in the township as izinyoka amounts to about R23 billion, that’s a huge debt on the Eskom revenue and you couple that with the municipal debt,” says Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa.

But like the Poo family, many others say they’re aware of the risks of illegal connections but it’s the only option to light up their homes. They say access to basic services like water, proper roads as well as health facilities, remain but a pipe dream.

SABC News did not receive a response from the Bakwena Ba Mogopa.