City Power explains why they destroyed man’s vegetable garden

The space, along Jan Smuts Avenue, was once an abandoned and overgrown area. Mkhize transformed this patch of land into a vegetable garden and grew veggies like tomatoes, carrots, cabbages and spinach.

The incident caused an outcry as Mhkize earned a living by selling these vegetables to passers-by.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena has responded on behalf of the entity, giving reasons as to why they were forced to clear the vegetable garden.

He confirmed that City Power had received a petition from Ward 102 residents complaining about Mkhize’s vegetable garden, that he had built next to power pylons.

Mangena said that their Stakeholder Relation Management team thoroughly investigated the issue and held multiple discussions with Mkhize.

During these discussions, they highlighted the potential hazards of building an illegal structure and living beneath power pylons.

“Following these engagements, the garden owner was then asked to harvest all his vegetables and stop planting or conducting activities under power pylons, but [he] refused to take the instructions,” Mangena told the Randburg Sun.

“City Power was left with no option but to remove his garden to prevent possible damage to our infrastructure.”

MKHIZE’S SIDE OF THE STORY

While Mhkize conceded that his garden had been built under power lines, he hadn’t yet had any issues with local authorities.

Randburg and Linden police had visited him in the past and even commended his work and the positive change he had brought to the space, he said.

A shade netting that he had erected – to protect his garden from the elements – did however seem to become a contentious issue.

“The police told me to take down the shade and talked about the danger it poses. They told me that the area was a hotspot for crime,” Mhkize said.

City Power officials had also approached him a week before and asked him not to put anything near the power lines. Mhkize obliged and took down the netting.

“The shade net was there for seven years. The minute they said I must take it down, I did,” Mkhize added.

“They should have told me not to plough under the lines. I don’t understand why they decided to destroy the [whole] garden. I am devastated by the manner they handled this situation.”

Mangena added that City Power are concerned with the growing number of unauthorised structures being built underneath electricity cables.

“We encourage residents to report illegal activities that pose a threat to human life and to our electricity infrastructure,” Mangena said.

“We also urge the community to refrain from building or erecting illegal structures under power lines to prevent damage to our infrastructure.”