*Illegal electricity connections can hurt you and your pocket* Drakenstein Municipality wants to remind our residents that it is against the law to illegally connect electricity to the municipal network. Illegal electricity connections are unsafe. They are usually done by unqualified people who not only risk electrocuting themselves, but also expose other people to danger and the risk of injury and death if they touch the connection. It is a life-threatening practice – for you and for our municipal workers who need to do maintenance work on the network. What is more, is that illegal electricity connections weaken the power grid. If you are found guilty of making illegal connections or installations, or of tampering with prepaid, smart or conventional meters, you can face a fine of between R2 906.57 and R34 874.32. In some cases, it can also lead to jail time. Power to your property will be cut, and you will have to pay all your outstanding debts and fines before the Municipality will restore power. The Municipality can further instruct you, as the owner of the property, to convert your existing conventional or smart meter to a prepaid meter and move the meter to the erf boundary. You will furthermore be asked to provide a Certificate of Compliance, which means you will have to appoint a registered person to make the necessary changes to the meter. Should you witness anyone making illegal connections or tampering with municipal equipment, please alert the Municipality at our toll-free number, *080 131 3553*, or our whistleblower number, *0800 555 337*. *Read more here:* https://www.facebook.com/share/16FCv2Svju/