At least 16,800 illegal connections and acts of meter tampering had been thwarted in co-operation with Eskom's "Operation Khanyisa" initiative.

80% of the tip-offs were drug-related, Abramjee said.

"We need to all unite further and fight the scourge because this evil of drugs is eating right through our community."

He appealed to national police commissioner Riah Phiyega to reintroduce specialised units to clamp down on drugs.

Also speaking at the event, National police commissioner Riah Phiyega said she was convinced South Africans wanted to be part of the fight against crime and saw that communities were willing to help the police.

Initiatives such as Crime Line, and the police's Crime Stop, were ways people could stop crime, she said.

Minister in the Presidency Trevor Manuel, who heads the National Planning Commission, said drugs were causing the destruction of families and of communities.

He recommended that to mark former president Nelson Mandela's birthday on July 18, people should disclose the names of drug dealers. The police could not be left to "fight the war" alone, he said.

He said people spoke of crime affecting potential foreign direct investment, but the effects were closer to home. "What stands between many South Africans and a better life is the chemical warfare against our youngsters."

"We will fail unless we get to the root of it," he continued.