{"id":51578,"date":"2020-12-10T10:41:13","date_gmt":"2020-12-10T08:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T17:28:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T15:28:14","slug":"joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections"},"content":{"rendered":"

THE Kouga Local Municipality, together with the local SAPS, plan to work together to combat illegal electrical connections in Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay, after a five-year-old boy was electrocuted to death by an illegal electrical connection in the area.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/p>\n
The Kouga Municipality and the local SAPS are working together to deal with illegal electrical connections in Ocean View Drive.Photo: Supplied<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

On November 26, Kouga Express<\/span> reported about the tragic death of Whaydon Potberg who was electrocuted while playing a few feet away from his house in Ocean View Drive on November 18.<\/p>\n

In the previous report, Kouga Infrastructure and Engineering Portfolio Councillor, Bryan Dhludhlu, said that their cases which were opened by the SAPS against illegal connectors were not being investigated.<\/p>\n

The Kouga Local Municipality then met with the local SAPS on November 23, to find a solution for the ongoing issue with illegal electrical connections in Ocean View.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was resolved that further meetings would be arranged with the district management at the SAPS to discuss operations of the uniform team and the detectives,\u201d said Dhludhlu.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe SAPS and the municipality will be working together to identify and implement strategies to discourage and minimise illegal connections.\u201d <\/p>\n

Dhludhlu said members of the Public Order Police Service (POPS) were in Jeffreys Bay on November 25, to assist with the illegal electrical connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe operation was completed successfully. However, after the operation, the substation was again broken into by community members and the transformer was reconnected,\u201d said Dhludhlu.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnother operation is being planned.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to police spokesperson, Sergeant Majola Nkohli, an inquest docket is being investigated after the alleged electrocution of a five-year-old boy on November 18.<\/p>\n

He further said a post-mortem was conducted on November 23.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe results were, however, still being awaited and the matter is under investigation,\u201d said Nkohli.<\/p>\n

He said the local police could confirm that the municipality had opened several cases regarding illegal electrical connections. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor the period between 2019\/2020, a total of six cases were reported at the Jeffreys Bay SAPS and were thoroughly investigated,\u201d said Nkohli.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn some of these cases arrests were made; however it must be mentioned that there are challenges in bringing about successful prosecutions because witnesses are reluctant to submit statements or to come forward and some cases were withdrawn, as there was insufficient evidence to charge a suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Referring to a previous statement made by Dhludhlu, Nkohli said it was unfortunate that the municipality official accused the SAPS of not investigating cases, even though several meetings were held with municipal officials to give feedback on reported cases, not only for Jeffreys Bay, but for the entire Kouga region.<\/p>\n

He said in the meetings, several strategies were also discussed to curb illegal connections. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn the recent past, several operations were conducted in conjunction with the municipal law enforcement unit to curb illegal connections. These operations included the removal of illegally connected wires,\u201d said Nkohli.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these joint operations were met with protests or violence from residents. For this reason, members from the Public Order Policing Service form part of these operations, as a force multiplier.\u201d<\/p>\n

He confirmed that the last operation was held on November 25.<\/p>\n

To further emphasise the local police\u2019s dedication to investigating and solving cases of this matter, Nkohli said that in August this year the Humansdorp Magistrate\u2019s Court sentenced Vukile Luthi from St Francis Bay to eight years\u2019 imprisonment for tampering with the essential infrastructure. <\/p>\n

He said Luthi was caught red-handed while busy with illegal connections in Seaview in June 2020.<\/p>\n

\u201cPolice are urging residents to refrain from illegal connections as it could result in fatalities. <\/p>\n

\u201cSuch connections are unsafely constructed and do not have the required electrical protection,\u201d said Nkohli.<\/p>\n

He further said any person who comes across an individual busy with illegal connections, is urged to contact the nearest police station by dialling 112 or by contacting the Kouga Local Municipality on 042 200 2200.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE Kouga Local Municipality, together with the local SAPS, plan to work together to combat illegal electrical connections in Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay, after a five-year-old boy was electrocuted to death by an illegal electrical connection in the area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"50530699-a1f3-4444-ad0c-f99530c8f647","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"Razaan Plaatjies","background_color":"","block_editor":"","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-51578","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nJoint effort to stop illegal electrical connections | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"THE Kouga Local Municipality, together with the local SAPS, plan to work together to combat illegal electrical connections in Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay, after a five-year-old boy was electrocuted to death by an illegal electrical connection in the area.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-12-10T08:41:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-13T15:28:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.24.co.za\/files\/Cms\/General\/d\/9446\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Razaan Plaatjies\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\"},\"headline\":\"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-10T08:41:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-13T15:28:14+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":648,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.24.co.za\\\/files\\\/Cms\\\/General\\\/d\\\/9446\\\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2020\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/\",\"name\":\"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.24.co.za\\\/files\\\/Cms\\\/General\\\/d\\\/9446\\\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-12-10T08:41:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-13T15:28:14+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.24.co.za\\\/files\\\/Cms\\\/General\\\/d\\\/9446\\\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cdn.24.co.za\\\/files\\\/Cms\\\/General\\\/d\\\/9446\\\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections | Kouga Express","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections","og_description":"THE Kouga Local Municipality, together with the local SAPS, plan to work together to combat illegal electrical connections in Ocean View, Jeffreys Bay, after a five-year-old boy was electrocuted to death by an illegal electrical connection in the area.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2020-12-10T08:41:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-13T15:28:14+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.24.co.za\/files\/Cms\/General\/d\/9446\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Razaan Plaatjies","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kouga Express","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/"},"author":{"name":"Kouga Express","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa"},"headline":"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections","datePublished":"2020-12-10T08:41:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-13T15:28:14+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/"},"wordCount":648,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.24.co.za\/files\/Cms\/General\/d\/9446\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2020","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/","name":"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.24.co.za\/files\/Cms\/General\/d\/9446\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg","datePublished":"2020-12-10T08:41:13+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-13T15:28:14+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.24.co.za\/files\/Cms\/General\/d\/9446\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.24.co.za\/files\/Cms\/General\/d\/9446\/76073373a0db40dabc990a6a61dc1dc3.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/joint-effort-to-stop-illegal-electrical-connections-20201209-2\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Joint effort to stop illegal electrical connections"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/d1ca9a7485fc5ec64ff4daf5b9e211aa","name":"Kouga Express","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f47e9234fbd437508ffebc42bafee4a1f7b8b5fc5b5e58a3881ac4edc0688cdd?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Kouga Express"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/kougaexpress\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51671,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/boy-5-electrocuted-by-illegal-connection-20201125-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":0},"title":"Boy (5) electrocuted by illegal connection","author":"Kouga Express","date":"26 November 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4d88908a5cad4ba4aae23724544d1bcb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4d88908a5cad4ba4aae23724544d1bcb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4d88908a5cad4ba4aae23724544d1bcb.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4d88908a5cad4ba4aae23724544d1bcb.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44431,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/residents-back-municipalitys-illegal-electricity-crackdown-20240828\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":1},"title":"Residents back municipality\u2019s illegal electricity crackdown","author":"Kouga Express","date":"29 August 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Municipality\u2019s move to address illegal electricity connections in Sea Vista, St Francis Bay, received support from residents, while proposed plans for formalising electrical conections in informal settlements raised concerns about the potential promotion of land invasion.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3db7a672cf1d4f70b98f426895f41008.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3db7a672cf1d4f70b98f426895f41008.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/3db7a672cf1d4f70b98f426895f41008.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":266076,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/man-dies-in-illegal-electricity-connection-attempt-in-sea-vista\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":2},"title":"Man dies in illegal electricity connection attempt in Sea Vista","author":"Razaan Plaatjies","date":"24 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Veron Uithaler (42) was fatally electrocuted on July 15 while allegedly attempting an illegal electrical connection in Sea Vista.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An electrical pole with multiple connections.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/electrical-cable-mess-2654084_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/electrical-cable-mess-2654084_1280.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/electrical-cable-mess-2654084_1280.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/electrical-cable-mess-2654084_1280.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":265657,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/municipality-warns-against-illegal-connections-following-fatal-electrocution-incident\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":3},"title":"Municipality warns against illegal connections following fatal electrocution incident","author":"Kouga Express","date":"17 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Local Municipality extends its heartfelt condolences to the family of the man who was tragically electrocuted in Sea Vista on July 15.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Illegal electrical connections.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-7.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-7.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-7.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":51677,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/boy-electrocuted-by-illegal-connection-20201125-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":4},"title":"Boy electrocuted by illegal connection","author":"Kouga Express","date":"26 November 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"THE family of Whaydon Potberg, a five\u2013year\u2013old boy from Ocean View, are mourning his tragic death after he was electrocuted by illegal electricity connections while playing a few feet away from his house in Ocean View Drive on November 18.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b2562fc976db42a886349f9f3644faeb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b2562fc976db42a886349f9f3644faeb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/b2562fc976db42a886349f9f3644faeb.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50666,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/alleged-cable-thief-electrocuted-dies-in-local-hospital-20210616-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":51578,"position":5},"title":"Alleged cable thief electrocuted, dies in local hospital","author":"Kouga Express","date":"17 June 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"On Tuesday, June 8, authorities were called to the scene of a severely injured man, after he had fallen from an electricity pole at the electricity station in Ocean View.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Kouga Express","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51578","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51578"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51578\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51578"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51578"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51578"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=51578"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=51578"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}