Perhaps part of the problem is that officials skirt around an issue instead of confronting it head on. Take the provision of electricity in Chiawelo, Soweto. Some residents connect illegally and then attack Eskom or municipal workers who go to fix the equipment for paying customers.

Perhaps part of the problem is that officials skirt around an issue instead of confronting it head on. Take the provision of electricity in Chiawelo, Soweto. Some residents connect illegally and then attack Eskom or municipal workers who go to fix the equipment for paying customers.

This is not fair to those who part with hard-earned cash. If you want electricity, you should pay for it. Having a plug in your home is not a right enshrined in the bill of rights. Electricity does not come for free and, if you want to improve your life, then you have to pay your way.

One way to get around the problem is via prepaid meters. Some residents feel these meters are just another form of exploitation, but wouldn't it be better for the community in the long run?

And even if a community feels it shouldn't have prepaid meters, officials should be encouraging a culture of payment so the municipality can collect funds to upgrade infrastructure. Failure to pay contributes to the non-delivery of services.

Paul Willemburg, DA Gauteng