At Swartklip Road in Cape Town, many people connect to electricity illegally because formal power is too expensive or hard to get. They rig unsafe cables that bring power but also risk electrocution and damage to a vital pump station. When the pump breaks down, sewage overflows, creating serious health problems for the whole community. City officials try to balance enforcing rules with understanding residents’ struggles, but the deeper challenge is building trustworthy, lasting services for everyone. This story shows how survival and risk live side by side in Cape Town’s informal neighborhoods.
