On Tuesday morning, Eskom technicians removed illegal electricity connections in Diepsloot.
The utility’s officials joined police officers and the Red Ants in prayer shortly before entering into town.
Eskom said that it was trying to put a stop to illegal connections as it is currently battling to keep up with demand.
According to Eskom spokesperson Reneilwe Semenya, the disconnection was not a long-term solution but it was an available option because something had to be done.
“Unfortunately, in those instances where illegal connections are happening, they have a huge burden not only on Eskom infrastructure but infrastructure in general.”
“If you look at the water, sewer and other services that are being provided by other municipalities and service providers, they are being hugely impacted as a result of this.”
Load reduction had to be implemented in some parts of Gauteng as the power utility noticed network overloading in high-density areas.
Thousands of people had power cuts between 5am and 9am as part of this load reduction timetable.
