PHILIPPI – Business owners at Philippi Village are operating under difficult circumstances due to illegal electricity connections that are having a negative impact on their businesses. They say it is costing them dearly and are demanding government intervention.

One business owner, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, described the situation at the village as worsening. She said only those with “muscle” can survive.

She accused shack dwellers from the nearby Siyangena informal settlement of illegally connecting to the village’s electricity box.

“They open the electricity box and connect illegally. Eskom officials have tried to disconnect them, but they keep reconnecting,” she said. “It seems the people doing the illegal connections are getting paid for it. These people don’t even care about the security guards — they connect illegally in broad daylight.”

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The mother of three said she sometimes has to close her business because there is no power. She urged government to intervene and disconnect all illegal wires connected to the electricity box.

“We are not safe here. As if the illegal connections are not enough, there are people who go around collecting money here every month,” she said. “Some people have closed their businesses because they don’t have money to pay. We are not making enough money here. Sometimes two days can pass without anyone buying anything.”

She urged government to act before it is too late.

Alexandra Abrahams, deputy minister of electricity and energy, along with senior representatives from the Department of Electricity and Energy, Eskom, and the City of Cape Town, recently led an engagement with local business owners to address these critical challenges.

Abrahams said ensuring energy security in industrial and commercial nodes such as Philippi remains a central priority for the department.

“Sustainable job creation requires a reliable operational environment for the commercial sector. Government must work cooperatively with industry to dismantle barriers to economic growth. We must ensure that government is accessible and responsive to the concerns of businesses, as it is these businesses that must succeed and create the jobs that our country so desperately needs.”

During the engagement, business stakeholders highlighted the proliferation of illegal connections as a severe operational risk that compromises local grid stability.

Eskom announced it will establish a dedicated task team to address the broader issues driving illegal connections across Philippi. This working group will integrate stakeholders from the local community, the City of Cape Town, and the private sector to develop comprehensive interventions, according to a media statement.

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